The Granby Board of Trustees passed an ordinance on April 8 amending a section of town code to allow the use of goats within town limits for weed management.

Ordinance No. 1020 states that goats have been shown to be an effective tool for noxious weed management.

According to a memo from Town Manager Ted Cherry, the board has spoken previously about the possibility of using goats to assist with weed management on town-owned property along U.S. Highway 34. The town’s previous ordinance did not allow for this, since hooved animals were not allowed within town limits.

The memo also states that the town is considering giving goats a try on town-owned land, and Cherry explained that the town potentially has a provider lined up.

“We would like to give it a try on town property, specifically between Sun Communities and Miller Ranch — to start,” Cherry said.

Trustee Seth Stern voiced his support of the use of goats for weed management because he believes it supports healthy soils.

“The use of chemicals and so many things outdoors isn’t great. So the biggest benefit to using goats is you’re not placing glyphosate on the ground. You’re not scorching the soil, and if you have healthy soil, you get good plants,” Stern said.

In addition to permitting the town to use goats for weed management, the ordinance also allows for the possibility for other landowners to use goats for the same purpose.

The ordinance is specific to working animals used for mitigation purposes with a limit of 20 goats. These goats may not exceed 150 pounds and must be removed from the premises after 60 days. Working goats also cannot be kept in town from November through March.

Most who spoke during the public comment period were in favor of the ordinance.

When making the motion to approve, the board voted to delete the sentence: “Working goats may only consume weeds and other plants for landscaping purposes and will not be provided with extra feed on the premises,” from the proposed ordinance. Trustee Michael Mahoney abstained from the vote.