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La Porte City tree-planting program paused after grant funding lost
Summary
City staff told residents a grant meant for tree-planting was rescinded the day before planting began; planning, inventory upgrades and tree-crew work remain but most new plantings are on hold.
La Porte City staff told residents the city’s tree-planting program has been paused after the city lost expected grant funding the day before plantings were to begin.
City staff said the majority of grant money had been spent on planning and upgrades, including a tree asset inventory and GIS improvements, and on running the city’s tree crew. “We lost our funding the day before we were able to, you know, make it on and honestly, it's probably a good thing that we weren't in the middle of the cutting when the contract got canceled because we would have had to find a way to pay for that out of pocket,” a city staff member said.
The staff member told the meeting the city used grant reimbursements to pay for inventory upgrades and crew costs, and that last summer the city’s crew removed “over a 120 trees” at an estimated cost of “about a $115,000 on running that crew,” which the staff member said works out to “less than a thousand dollars per tree.” The staff member said the grant money also paid for planting plans and approved cutting and planting contracts that are now on hold.
A resident told the meeting, “Just so the public knows that all those trees are not coming right now. No.” City staff said homeowners in potential planting locations were contacted directly: “I went door to door and contacted each homeowner individually with our arborist. I gave them a letter. If they didn't answer the door, they got a letter.” The staff member said homeowners can decline plantings: “We have given them that option. Yes.”
City staff described the city’s inventory as identifying roughly “about 5,000 spaces that we've deemed open for planting,” and said trees targeted for planting are tree-lawn trees—trees placed in the public easement between sidewalk and street—so homeowners who do not want a tree can be accommodated by planting elsewhere in the inventory.
Staff also described a set-aside of trees that had been purchased and staged for planting. “Those 80 trees were set aside already in their yard, like, almost loaded on trucks and sent out. So they had to find they they were able to find alternate buyers for 50 62 of them,” the staff member said, and added that “the remaining 18 have been there, and they're healthy trees.” The staff member said a partner, identified as Jordan from Dogwood Hills, has been maintaining those trees and that Phil has inspected them; the staff member said the partner will maintain the warranty on the remaining trees but that the city will need to water them at a higher rate than usual.
To help with establishment, the city has purchased tree-watering bags to help conserve and direct water to new plantings. When asked, “Might sound dumb I might sound dumb on this, but what's a tree watering bag?” the staff member replied, “It's a, like, tarpaulin bag that is attached.”
City staff did not give a timeline for when new plantings will resume, saying the work is dependent on securing funding. The staff member emphasized that the program’s immediate visible activities—new trees placed in yards or along streets—are paused until funding is resolved.
