In a narrow vote, city council members approved an ordinance regulating bamboo, 4-3 with councilmembers Bryan Callahan, Adam Waldron and Olga Negron voting against the measure.

During the public portion of the meeting, council members heard from two homeowners who said they have no trouble containing running bamboo growing on their properties.

The ordinance was first proposed after the city health department received complaints from residents who said the plant is invading their properties from neighboring areas. The city had no ordinance regulating running bamboo, so there was nothing the health department could do about these complaints.

Running bamboo is an invasive that plant grows rapidly and can cause infrastructure damage.

Resident Jamie Lantz said English Ivy is a greater hazard, choking out even large trees. He also said the city itself has large bamboo stands growing on at least two properties, including at the maintenance garage on Schoenersville Road.

While the new law prohibits homeowners from planting new bamboo, property owners with existing running bamboo are grandfathered. Director of Community and Economic Development Alicia Karner said, “Our goal is compliance,” and the city works with those involved to solve the problem rather than using fines. “We are being patient as long as progress is being made,” she said.

In other business, council members unanimously voted to expand the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) zone. The north side LERTA was originally passed in fall of 2016, but council members voted not to expand it at that time, opting first to see how the zone would work.

The expanded district will include neighborhoods around Moravian College, from East Laurel Street to the north and West Broad Street on the south, to Maple Street on the east and Main Street and Mauch Chunk Road on the west.

The council is set to discuss a proposed ethics ordinance at the May 2 meeting. The proposal would make ethics training mandatory.

The meeting originally scheduled for May 16 has been rescheduled to Wednesday May 17 because of primary election day.