By Will Pafford, Staff Writer

Residents in West Lake Hills need city approval before clearing virtually any vegetation from their property. 

The West Lake Hills City Council discussed and amended various parts of the city’s environmental regulation ordinance during its March 11 meeting, including a section that addresses what kind of vegetation residents can remove from their property. 

The ordinance originally stated that residents need city approval to remove vegetation, and the Council decided to keep that language.

The Council discussion focused on where to draw the line between what residents can or cannot remove from their property. 

Mayor Dave Claunch proposed prohibiting clearing within setback boundaries, which would be easier to enforce while also preserving the look of lots from the street. 

Councilman Earl Broussard said if residents are allowed to clear whatever they want from anywhere on their lots, the city could begin to lose its unique character. 

Councilwoman Cindy Probst said many people live in West Lake Hills because they want to live in the woods, and when residents clear their lots, they take away from this natural identity of the city. 

Councilwoman Jane Noble said the biggest problem is new residents because they don’t know what they can and cannot do to their property. 

“You’re not supposed to come in and make it look like a suburban place,” Noble said. 

Probst said City Administrator Robert Wood and the city’s inspectors should be tougher when they enforce this ordinance, and clearly communicate it to residents. 

Councilman Earl Broussard said this ordinance protects one of the characteristics that make West Lake Hills unique.

“You lose that wooded area, you lose the city,” he said.