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Zimmerman amendment targets urban forestry reorganization; committee raises concerns about scope and timing
Summary
An amendment proposed reassigning parts of Urban Forestry (Title 11 activities) to PP&D and reducing related staffing in Parks. Sponsors said the change would restore park maintenance funding, while others cautioned that the budget is a blunt tool for structural reform and asked for more detail and bureau-level analysis.
Councilor Zimmerman presented an amendment to shift certain Urban Forestry responsibilities and staff from Parks into PP&D permitting functions and to adjust related funding, with the intent of preserving roughly $5.8 million in parks maintenance.
Zimmerman described the approach as rightsizing overlaps in duties between tree regulation, maintenance and permitting. "What I did in my amendment is I sent 5 tree inspectors to PP&D... I'm open if that right number for that is 4, the right number for that is 8," she said, adding the goal is to retain staff who perform front-line park maintenance while moving regulatory or permit-focused work to PP&D.
Other councilors asked for more precise role breakdowns and questioned whether the budget amendment was the appropriate vehicle for structural reforms. Committee members noted Urban Forestry has three divisions (regulation, science/maintenance, and permitting) and asked why certain maintenance functions remained within the regulation division. One member urged caution about sweeping bureau changes made without more time for stakeholder engagement and service-area review.
Supporters argued the amendment would protect maintenance crews who keep parks clear and available to the public. Opponents warned about unintended consequences and requested a clearer list of duties that would move, expected costs and service impacts should the reorganization proceed. Several members asked Parks staff to provide more detailed position-level descriptions and program implications before final action.
