The Knox County Commissioners have passed first readings of ordinances to repeal local controls on invasive species and disband the county’s weed control board.

The votes passed 2 to 1, with Commissioner Kellie Streeter opposing both measures and calling the repeals “nonsense.”

Supporters of the repeal argued the county’s ordinance goes beyond state law and unfairly restricts small businesses by banning 20 additional plant species not restricted in any other Indiana county.

Commissioner T.J. Brink said the local ordinance places Knox County vendors at a disadvantage.  “In 91 other counties, it is perfectly legal to have an additional 20 plants that we have deemed to be invasive,” Brink said. “It is perfectly legal for me to walk across the line through Daviess County, Gibson County—pick a county—and buy any of these plants and plant them here.”

Streeter disagreed, saying the law was designed to protect local agriculture and natural habitats and had bipartisan support when passed in 2018. She said repealing the law would undo years of collaboration with local advisors and conservation groups.   “This board was used as a way to educate and inform and help individuals that were unaware of what invasive species were,” Streeter said. “It’s worked flawlessly. There’s been no issue. I’ve heard no issue from any business owners.”

She also suggested eliminating the Invasive Species Board is the true intent behind the repeal.

Several audience members urged Commissioners Brink and Tim Ellerman II to reconsider their positions before the second and final readings on May 20.