The vote was 6-1 in favor of paving the way to use goats to clear overgrown vegetation in locations such as steep slopes, and rights-of-way where traditional equipment have difficulty reaching. The amended ordinance would exempt animals used for official projects from Wilmington’s animal waste requirements.
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The lone nay vote came from Councilwoman Salette Andrews who expressed concern saying:
“So we’re amending the animal waste provisions here so that these animals that the city’s using don’t need to be picked up after. I’m just, ever? I mean, do we not go through after a project’s done, maybe, and clean up the area?”
Thom Moton, Wilmington Deputy City Manager, explained that without the ordinance change the city would be in violation of its own rules for not immediately removing droppings as the goats were doing their “job”. Goat-scaping has been used in other parts of the state including the Raleigh area where it has received positive reviews from the community.
Other benefits the goats provide in addition to controlling overgrown vegetation is the benefit of changing the pH of the soil via their droppings and the entertainment value to visitors of watching them work.
The city is looking to obtain six to eight goats and have them on the job by summer’s end.