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Council approves $40,000 transfer, authorizes application for $25,000 DNR urban forestry grant to accelerate tree removals
Summary
The City Council authorized submission of a $25,000 Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry Grant application and approved a one-time $40,000 budget transfer from the Community Development Fund to the Urban Forestry Fund to remove dead street and park trees.
The 2 Rivers City Council voted Monday to submit an application for a $25,000 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Grant and to transfer $40,000 from the Community Development Fund to the Urban forestry budget to accelerate removal of dead and dying trees.
The grant application was described at the meeting by Director Mike Mathis, who said, “This grant is a $25,000 grant from Wisconsin DNR for urban forestry. We use our current budget for urban forestry and street planting trees to do the match for this.” He added the city would use existing budgeted funds and in-kind administrative time as the required 1:1 match.
Council members were told the transfer will cover immediate removals and help address a backlog. Mathis said a two‑year-old public terrace inventory identified roughly 375 dead and dying terrace and park trees, and staff estimate about 275 trees still need immediate attention, many of them ash trees affected by emerald ash borer. He told the council the city will seek competitive bids (RFP) to remove groups of trees and that contractors generally respond well to larger removal contracts.
Council debate included fiscal and programmatic concerns. Councilmember Adam Mohusky said he opposed taking money from the Community Development Fund, arguing the fund supports property improvements and incubator properties and should be preserved. Mohusky said, “I think we should save it and keep it in the community development fund.”
Councilmember Mark Bittner argued the transfer used unspent salary dollars from a vacant community development director position and that removing hazardous trees is a public‑safety priority: “$40,000 could save lives here,” Bittner said, citing risks from falling trees on cars, sidewalks and utilities.
On a roll call the council approved the transfer and the grant application. The council also discussed possible acquisition or borrowing of an aerial lift and additional training to increase the city crew’s capacity for removals.
The transfer is a one‑time amendment for 2025; Mathis said it does not eliminate funding for future staffing and that the city will continue to prioritize removals in future budgets. The council directed staff to proceed with the DNR grant application and to issue an RFP for removal work if the funding is awarded.
Background: The Wisconsin DNR urban forestry grant requires a 1:1 match; the city plans to match with existing budgeted tree funds and in‑kind staff time. The $40,000 transfer was described as coming from savings associated with a vacant Community Development Director position in 2025.
