When the Meadow Ranch Homeowner’s Association checked in with a few tree service companies about cleaning up a steep, bushy acre of land, each had the same answer: 

“You need goats.” 

The HOA agreed. It plans to hire billies and nannies to munch on the overgrown hillside. But first, it needs city approval and so far has the support of the city’s General Services/Public Works Committee. 

“I think it’s incredibly creative,” said committee member Kenny Gabriel on Monday.  

Maintaining the property along Meadow Ranch Avenue near Fred Meyer has long been a problem due to extreme slopes. A city report said many ideas have been considered, but none were deemed feasible without putting the safety of landscape company employees at risk. 

“You’d almost have to rappel down,” said HOA member Lynn Naylor.

“They have exhausted all their options,” said Renata McLeod, municipal services director. 

Without regular maintenance, brush, weeds and other vegetation have thrived, creating what the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department calls a fire hazard that must be cleaned up.

Even the health of the trees is at risk.

“We can't take care of the trees because we can’t get to them,” said Geri Wile, a member of the association that represents about 80 homes. 

Goats, however, excel in such situations that call for two things: sure footing and an appetite for grass, twigs and leaves. 

“This is great vegetation to use goats," McLeod said. 

However, the city’s municipal code only allows public agencies to temporarily house goats within the city limits for such use. The water department, for instance, has found them an effective tool at several locations. 

The General Services Committee voted to approve a code change to allow a homeowner’s association to “utilize goats for weed control purposes within open spaces when no other weed control method is feasible.”

It may go before the City Council on April 1, which means goats could be bleating and feasting next month.

The tentative plan calls for about five goats from Leshay Goat Rentals to spend about five days on the site.

The area would be fenced, a Great Pyrenees would be on duty to protect them from predators, water would be provided and a company staffer would remain on site, as well.  

“The application does require them to tell how the goats will be cared for,” said city attorney Randy Adams. “We don’t want goats to be mishandled or mistreated.” 

The cost is expected to be around $500 to $1,000, which Naylor said was a good deal. 

“You can’t get a tree service to do it for that,” she said.