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Converse council approves first reading of revised tree-preservation ordinance, adds drought-planting deferral
Summary
The Converse City Council approved the first reading of Ordinance 6062025 to replace the city's tree-preservation code. The draft simplifies density rules, adds a fee-in-lieu and a process to defer planting during severe drought, and requires bonds to guarantee deferred plantings.
Converse, Texas ' On Feb. 4, 2025, the Converse City Council approved the first reading of Ordinance 6062025, a rewrite of the city's Chapter 18 environment provisions governing tree preservation and replacement.
The measure, introduced as a consolidated rewrite of the city's tree-preservation and replacement rules, is intended to simplify definitions and compliance calculations, add a tree mitigation fee option and to allow a temporary deferral of required planting during severe drought.
Assistant City Manager (presenting) said staff "brought a draft preservation rate that was simplified, the definitions that were added, a tree affidavit option, we clarified terminology and added a tree mitigation fee." He added that the draft incorporates council feedback on drought and "we have added language, in section 18 dash 1 48, which is highlighted in yellow to allow applicants to request a deferral of planting during stage 3, 4, or 5 drought restrictions." The ordinance as presented also provides a fee-in-lieu option and a tree affidavit pathway for some projects.
Supporters on staff said the rewrite removes a previous commercial standard that required calculating "20 tree density units per acre" using a complex formula based on tree sizes; staff and outside landscape professionals had found that calculation cumbersome and difficult to trace to a local standard. The new draft adopts simpler planting and mitigation rules intended to avoid penalizing undeveloped or agricultural parcels that historically have few trees.
Council members questioned how deferred plantings would be tracked and enforced. Staff said applicants that defer planting must post a performance bond; the deferral may last up to one year with a possible six-month extension, and the city manager's office and community development staff will jointly monitor bonds and planting obligations. On the fee-in-lieu, staff compared local practices, noting Leon Valley charges $100 per caliper inch, Helotes $150 and San Antonio $200, and said Converse's fee is positioned "square in the middle."
Council moved to approve the ordinance on first reading. The transcript records the motion and a second but does not name the mover or seconder; council voted in favor and the motion carried.
Why it matters: The ordinance changes what developers and property owners must do when trees are removed or when new landscaping is required. The drought-deferral language gives developers an option to delay required planting when water restrictions make establishing new trees infeasible, while the bond and fee mechanisms are intended to preserve the city's long-term canopy goals.
What happens next: Council approved the ordinance on first reading at the Feb. 4 meeting. The ordinance will remain on the council's legislative track for further readings and final adoption per the city's ordinance process.
