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Council creates tree board but delays the citywide tree ordinance after debate over fines and enforcement
Summary
The council voted to establish a seven-member tree board and appointed members, but council declined to waive the ordinance’s second-reading requirement and the proposed citywide tree ordinance remains under review after debate over nuisance fines and homeowner impacts.
Deputy City Manager James Gaston presented a proposal to establish a tree board and a citywide tree ordinance to help the city qualify for grant programs (for example, Department of Forestry and Tree City USA). Gaston said he already has five volunteers willing to serve and that the board would help the city access grants and coordinate tree care.
Gaston told the council the board would meet at least quarterly, have two-year terms, and be staffed by city personnel. He said public works already performs many tree-maintenance tasks and the ordinance is intended to organize responsibilities and unlock grant funding and an arborist assessment opportunity the city applied for through Virginia Forestry Department (an application cited at approximately $105,000 for an…
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