BYRON — The Byron City Council approved the keeping of bees within the city limits during Tuesday's city council meeting.
On a 3-1 vote – Mayor Daryl Glassmaker voted no, and Council Member Dan Mesenburg was absent – the city council approved an ordinance that would allow residents to keep bees. However, anyone applying for a beekeeping permit would need certification as a beekeeper or a year of experience under a certified beekeeper to own hives in town.
Glassmaker expressed concern about allowing people to keep bees when there are people who are allergic to bee stings. However, other members of the council noted that bees already live in the city.
City Administrator Mary Blair-Hoeft said no one has applied or asked to keep bees, but the city council decided to get ahead of the issue by approving the ordinance.
The city council also approved its preliminary levy, but Blair-Hoeft said the actual levy hasn't been determined. Instead, the council approved a 4 percent increase to the property taxes of residents. That levy amount – which comes with an 11 percent increase of the tax base – will be the maximum levy that can be approved in December.
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"The council is most concerned with how the numbers will affect the homeowners," she said.
Blair-Hoeft said she's not concerned if the Legislature uses money dedicated for local government aid to balance the state's budget deficit.
Byron's LGA isn't a big part of its budget, Blair-Hoeft said.
"It’s what buys our equipment and capital improvement," she said. "It doesn’t impact the operating budget."
