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Shade Tree Commission agrees to draft contractor qualifications including ISA certification and insurance
Summary
Commissioners agreed to draft a short list of contractor qualifications—ISA certification, general liability, workers' compensation where required, and a city contractor license—and to notify local contractors with a suggested six-month implementation window.
At its March 13 meeting the Athens Shade Tree Commission agreed to draft and publish a short set of qualifications for contractors performing pruning, removal or planting of trees on public property.
Gene, a commission member who said he works in the industry, presented suggested standards drawn from other municipalities and his industry experience. The list the commission agreed to draft includes: (1) ISA certification or employment of an ISA‑certified supervisor for any public-tree work; (2) general liability insurance with proof of coverage; (3) proof of workers’ compensation coverage where required; and (4) a valid city contractor license. Gene said he would recuse himself from future votes on the measure because he does tree-care work in town.
City staff explained that contractor registration is handled by the city code office and suggested the commission provide the list for inclusion in contractor registration and outreach. Commissioners discussed granting a transition period so existing local contractors could obtain certification; one commissioner proposed a six-month grace period before enforcing the new list. The commission approved a motion to draft the language and prepare a notice to local contractors; members recorded an affirmative voice vote.
Commissioners mentioned two local companies that have provided city work in the past—Robson and Greenleaf—as potential recipients of the notice. Members also noted that ISA certification is commonly required for grant-funded tree work; meeting comments indicated some grant programs require certified supervision for anyone performing work paid from the grant.
The commission agreed to circulate a short memorandum to contractors explaining the new requirements and to name a commission point of contact for questions; Gene offered to serve as that contact and to help contractors who needed assistance with ISA requirements.
Next steps recorded in the meeting: the commission will prepare the three-sentence qualification list and distribute it to contractors and the code office; the memo was expected to be ready within one to two weeks according to commissioners’ remarks.
