Saginaw Township considering ways to allow lawn care service for those who can’t cut their own grass

Saginaw man stands up for local out of work lawn care businesses

A view of Tom Weber's front yard in Saginaw on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Weber is advocating for lawn care businesses to still be able to work during the coronavirus outbreak and not just so his yard is taken care of, but because he doesn't want to see local businesses go under.Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, MI — The Saginaw Township Board of Trustees is considering ways to allow lawn care companies to cut grass for residents who can’t get the job done themselves.

On Monday, April 13, the Saginaw Township Board of Trustees approved a motion to review a plan to allow residents to hire lawn care businesses to maintain their lawn.

“We’re having residents call in and say for whatever reason, ‘I’m not able to cut my own lawn. I have hired a landscaping company to just simply mow my lawn for the last decade.’ So, it’s just situations like that where we don’t want a resident out with that kind of stuff,” said Brian Rombalski, acting manager for Saginaw Township.

To help make a decision about the plan, the township has enlisted its attorney to review Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order that prohibits local lawn care services from operating in order to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our attorney is under the impression that we might get a little bit more guidance and clarification from the state,” said Rombalski.

Saginaw Township resident and Ultimate Landscaping owner Thomas Roy is in favor of the township’s plan to review opportunities for citizens to hire lawn care companies to maintain their yards. He submitted a letter to the board of trustees to plead his case.

“I have fielded calls from elderly clients and others that do not own a lawn mower, asking what is to be done,” said Roy. “I have also fielded calls from many business property owners like Sears, Walgreens, as well as CubeSmart and Valvoline.”

Unmaintained lawns can harbor rodents and ticks, Roy added.

He also pointed to other communities such as Roseville that was allowing its residents to hire lawn care services to perform the task up until the governor issued an updated order which deemed lawn care service workers non-essential.

Roy said his business would abide by the guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Other townships will see that Saginaw Township is taking the lead and will follow along,” Roy said.

Rombalski said there’s a good chance the township won’t enact any new policy because they don’t want to violate the governor’s order. He expects the township will come to a decision by early next week.

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