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Council reviews new Urban Forestry division: $2 million for contracts, IRA grant for inventory, commissioner vacancy
Summary
Council members discussed the newly separated Urban Forestry division, its 28 budgeted employees, a $2 million ‘other contractual’ line for tree work with contractor Van Curren, a vacant Commissioner position, and a $3.4 million Inflation Reduction Act grant that includes about $1 million for a right‑of‑way tree inventory.
The City Council’s budget hearing reviewed a newly established Division of Urban Forestry that the 2025 operating budget shows with 28 budgeted employees and an operating total of $5,993,520.
Acting Commissioner Toye Porch told the committee that all positions in the new division were transferred from the Division of Parks except for a newly budgeted Commissioner of Urban Forestry position, which is vacant. Porch said the job description was expected to be approved by civil service and the city expected to begin hiring soon, estimating about eight weeks after approval and a goal of filling the role before the summer season.
Several council members pressed staff for details on how tree work will be performed and funded. Porch said the budget contains a $2,000,000 line for “other contractual services” that will be used for tree planting, stump grinding and related work with the city’s contractor, Van Curren. Porch described tree plantings and stump grinding as primarily contractual services, while routine pruning is performed in-house by city crews.
Council members and staff noted that the city received a federal Inflation Reduction Act grant for tree work. Councilwoman Spencer said the city received a $3,400,000 grant under the Inflation Reduction Act, and that roughly $1,000,000 of the award will be used to create a new right‑of‑way tree inventory and a management plan. Porch confirmed the IRA grant covers a right‑of‑way inventory only; parks and open‑space trees are not included in that inventory funding.
Council members pressed for more granular performance targets tied to the money: how many trees the $2,000,000 is expected to plant, how many stumps will be ground, and measurable reductions in the arboriculture backlog. Porch said she did not have those specific output estimates at the hearing but agreed to provide them before final budget adoption. Several council members noted the backlog of pruning work orders and the seasonal spike in demand for urban forestry services, and they urged the department to develop clearer service-level goals.
Council members also discussed operational details: equipment and vehicles used by forestry crews were transferred from Public Works to the new division, and park maintenance headcount was adjusted to move staff into the forestry roster. Porch and staff said they will provide documentation to reconcile prior-year headcounts and show the movement of positions and equipment.
The committee asked for a public schedule for hiring the commissioner, the consultant recommendations used to set the organizational chart, a breakout of contract line items (tree planting, pruning, stump grinding), and estimates of expected outputs tied to the $2,000,000 contractual and any capital funding that will be used for related work.
