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Dearborn Heights resident urges council to revisit tree ordinance, disputes $600 charge for replacement
Summary
At the April 29 special meeting the city council heard public comment from resident Lori Moline about storm-damaged trees, a $600 charge tied to tree removal/planting, and calls from council members to review the city's tree ordinance and replacement practices.
Lori Moline, a Dearborn Heights resident who lives on Berwyn Street, told the Dearborn Heights City Council at its April 29 special meeting that homeowners should not be charged $600 when the city removes or replaces trees on city property after storm damage.
The comment came during the meeting's public-comment period and prompted several council members to describe concern about aging sycamore trees and to say the council should re-examine the city's tree ordinance. Moline said the city had removed trees at the Berwyn Center following a recent storm, that new trees had not been planted there, and that the city previously maintained a tree fund for replacements.
Moline said the fee discussed at a prior meeting amounted to $600 and described the way the charge was being split: "The $600, if the city planted the tree, the city should pay for replacement," she said. In council conversation, members and staff described separate $300 charges for removal and $300 to plant a replacement when a resident requests removal and replacement, and said the city was still determining what tree species would be purchased before budgeting for replacements.
Council members noted public-safety and lifecycle issues with sycamores, which several speakers described as large, dropping bark and branches, and as a common source of complaints. A council member said administration staff had given an estimate to remove all sycamores citywide of roughly $5 million to $6 million, which council members said the city did not have available.
Council discussion included two recurring points: that residents may remove a city easement tree at their own expense after pulling a permit, and that the ordinance requires funds be deposited into a tree fund to plant a replacement elsewhere in the city when a tree on city property is removed. Multiple speakers said the city has not consistently followed that practice in recent years, leaving stumps at the Berwyn Center and other sites.
The item remained a discussion point only: no ordinance change or formal vote on tree policy occurred at the meeting. Several council members said they want staff to review the ordinance language and report back with options for clarifying when the city pays for replacements, how a resident request is handled, and how to prioritize public-safety removals.
Moline and other residents raised the issue during the public-comment period; council-member remarks on the ordinance occurred during the subsequent council discussion.
The council took no additional action on planting or funding at this meeting.
