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Virginia Department of Forestry grant will fund new city arborist position
Summary
The council heard that a $108,403 Virginia Department of Forestry grant will fund an arborist position housed in Public Works (shared with Planning) to advance Hopewell’s tree canopy goals; the position is included in the FY26 budget and requires no local match.
Public Works Director Mike Crocker told council that the city had been awarded a Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF) grant of $108,403 to fund a new arborist position covering salary, benefits and equipment.
Crocker said the position will be housed in the Department of Public Works but shared with Planning and Development to “assist with Hopewell's tree strategies and help us reach some of our tree canopy goals.” He added that no local cost-share is required and that the position has already been included in the proposed FY26 budget, so no formal council action was required at the meeting.
Councilors had no questions at the time. Staff said the position will work on the six objectives identified in the city's tree strategy and will support both maintenance and planning functions.
The award provides immediate staffing capacity to implement tree canopy and street-tree goals in the city’s urban-forest plan, and it removes a near-term budget barrier because the DOF funding covers full costs for fiscal year 2026.
