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Committee adds review of Grosse Ile tree ordinance; staff to confirm legal limits for trust fund use
Summary
The Open Space Committee added the townshipwoodland and tree preservation ordinance to its agenda and agreed to examine updates after staff raised questions about the ordinance's references to an environmental trust fund.
The Grosse Ile Township Open Space Committee added review of the township woodland and tree preservation ordinance (Chapter 282) to its meeting agenda and discussed next steps for possible updates.
Committee members agreed to collect information and return with suggested language and background material. Community development staff — identified in the meeting as Ross Cuero — told members the ordinance "needs updating" because a referenced environmental trust fund may no longer be available or applicable under current practice. Committee members asked staff to clarify what portions of the ordinance rely on the trust fund and how prospective edits would be initiated and processed.
Members discussed several procedural pathways for revision: the committee could draft suggested changes for the township attorney to review; the township planner or building/zoning staff could handle a rewrite; or the township board could direct the attorney to prepare amendments. Participants noted that citizen groups previously have initiated ordinance changes (the committee cited a 2017–2018 example where the Conservancy and volunteers led a successful coal‑tar sealant ordinance effort, then taken up by the township attorney and trustees).
The committee assigned follow-up tasks to staff: compile the ordinance text with notes about any trust‑fund language, confirm whether the township attorney or planner will draft proposed revisions, and provide a timeline for public hearings or Planning Commission review if changes are pursued. The group also identified local resources to consult for historical context, including Doug Field and records of prior Conservancy work.
Ending: Staff will gather the ordinance text and Ross Cuero agreed to provide detail on the trust fund question; the committee will revisit proposed edits and decide whether to forward draft language to the township attorney or request that the township board initiate formal ordinance amendments.
