Wednesday night, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of an open burning amendment. The measure bans openly burning household trash in the county.
The fire marshal began pushing for the ordinance after getting complaints from people who were concerned about toxins being released into the air.
Some board members were leery about issuing a ban over a handful of complaints, but the fire marshal explained it was necessary to hold repeat offenders accountable.
"The court really requires us to establish that the products that are in that burn barrel are prohibited products for us to substantiate a case of burning prohibited materials," said Albemarle County Fire Marshal Howard Lagomarsino.
The measure passed 5 votes to 1 vote, with the recommendation that the item is cleared with the Air Pollution Control Board. Burning leaves and natural vegetation is still allowed.
Supervisors also approved a new traffic control system for Route 29 North from Hydraulic to Hollymead. The system should help improve traffic flow.
