Mayor Harry Kim last week vetoed a bill limiting use of weed-killing chemicals by Hawaii County.

The veto Thursday was the first of his current term, West Hawaii Today reported.

Kim called the list of 23 banned products “arbitrary.” He also expressed concern about removing some of the county’s tools in battling invasive plant species.

Bill 101, sponsored by Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas, would, over a four-year period, ban the use of Roundup and 22 other weedkillers in parks and alongside roads, bike-ways, sidewalks, trails, drainage-ways and waterways owned or maintained by the county. The bill last month passed 6-3, the minimum yes votes to override a veto under the County Charter.

The Council can hold an override vote within 30 days of the mayor’s action.

The four-page veto letter, sent to Council Chairman Aaron Chung and Council members just short of the 4:30 p.m. Thursday deadline, questions whether herbicides come under federal, state or local jurisdiction. It includes suggestions that would make the bill acceptable to the administration.

“The county does not have the level of expertise to identify herbicides as ‘causing high risk of exposure,’ as ‘dangerous chemicals’ or as ‘harmful chemicals’,” the letter says. “The bill disregards the national and state regulations in place to ensure the safety of people who use herbicides as well as those who work and play in areas where herbicides are used.”

Villegas had met with the mayor Wednesday and she said she had thought she had addressed his concerns. She said provided copies of the bill to the mayor and department heads before it was heard by the Council.

“I am not alone in my consternation, and I am baffled, confounded, and deeply disappointed with the mayor’s decision to veto Bill 101,” Villegas said. “However, we are committed to persevere with the courage and serious consideration this bill demands.”