After months of debate, the Rye City Council unanimously voted to postpone any discussion of altering leaf blower regulations until 2026, but not before some members haggled over the timing of transitioning fully to electric-powered ones.
The council has been weighing a plan to shorten the fall and spring cleanup seasons for gas-powered leaf blowers since May, when Republican Councilman Bill Henderson pitched the proposal while pointing to noise and air pollution.
After hearing from landscapers and City Engineer Ryan Coyne, the council could not agree on the timeframe for revised regulations or a solid plan to fully transition to electric models, leading the governing body, at its Aug. 5 meeting, to postpone the discussion until next year.
In November four seats on the council are up for election, including the position of mayor — meaning the makeup of the City Council could be vastly different come January when the new members are sworn in.
Henderson’s proposal shortened the fall season for gas-powered leaf blowers by one month — it currently starts Oct. 1 — to Nov. 1, and the spring season by two weeks, from March 1 to March 15. Currently, the law allows for gas-powered leaf blowers Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on week days and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Electric-powered leaf blowers have been are permitted year-round since the law was last changed in 2023.
Councilmen James Ward and Josh Nathan, both Democrats, proposed amending Henderson’s plan to include a May 2027 “sunset date” for gas-powered leaf blowers, after which their use would be prohibited in the city.
Rye has been moving toward limiting gas-powered leaf blowers due to their noise and air pollution, especially in residential neighborhoods. Electric models run much more quietly but still lack the power of gas blowers, city officials said.
Henderson, who is running for mayor, noted that when the council changed the law in 2023, Coyne did not believe that the batteries and technology of electric-powered leaf blowers were where they needed to be to support a transition away from gas blowers.
“I still think we’re a few years away and I’d be very hesitant to fix a date when we don’t know when the technology will be ready,” Henderson said. “I think if we were to consider this now, we’re talking about at least another two hearings and taking up a lot of time when there’s a lot of things on our plate to get done right now.”
The Republican also said he’s supportive of eventually moving to electrically operated blowers.
Nathan, who is challenging Henderson for mayor, expressed concerns about constituents’ agitation with the noise of gas-powered blowers and thinks there has been adequate time since the 2023 law passed.
“The idea here was to create two years for that transition at which point the technology that is available today will be even cheaper and better then,” Nathan said.
Republican Councilman Keith Cunningham challenged Nathan, claiming the Democrat lacked sufficient data and proof that electric-powered technology is now up to par.
Cunningham supported Coyne’s assessment that electric blowers lack the requisite power to fully transition.
“The only facts we have distinctively shows that gas-powered leaf blowers are louder, however, they’re much more powerful than what the electric are, but the electric are getting better,” Cunningham said.
Mayor Josh Cohn, who is no longer affiliated with either politic party, was also in support of transitioning to electric-powered leaf blowers when the city is prepared and the technology warrants it.
Councilwoman Julie Souza, a Democrat, did not attend the meeting.
