Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Urban Forest topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves Urban Forest advisory committee work plan, asks for annual reporting and evaluation
Summary
After debate about the committee's workload and staffing, the Encinitas City Council approved the Urban Forest Advisory Committee (UFAC) fiscal year 2025-26 work plan and directed the committee to report annually on outcomes and for staff to study the committee's effectiveness and whether its duties should be merged into other commissions.
The Encinitas City Council approved the Urban Forest Advisory Committee (UFAC) fiscal year 2025-26 work plan and added new reporting and follow-up requirements aimed at clarifying the committee’s role and outcomes.
Council members and several staff members and UFAC representatives discussed whether UFAC should remain a standalone committee or be merged with other commissions. Supporters said UFAC provides technical review, helps assess heritage tree applications, and serves as a community conduit; critics said some UFAC tasks overlap with staff responsibilities and outside consultants and that membership has been difficult to maintain.
Why it matters: The UFAC advises on urban forest management, heritage-tree reviews and mature-tree ordinance work. The committee’s recommendations affect local tree protection policy, urban canopy goals and public-works implementation, which in turn affect neighborhood character, stormwater and heat mitigation.
What the council decided
• Council voted to approve UFAC’s FY 2025-26 work plan.
• Council also directed UFAC to report back to City Council with a retrospective of prior-year achievements and to adopt annual reporting as part of the work-plan cycle.
• The council separately approved a staff report to bring back an analysis of the committee’s effectiveness and whether UFAC duties can be absorbed into other commissions or be reorganized; that follow-up will include a municipal-code review if changes are recommended.
Key points from the discussion
• UFAC chair Brad Levkowitz told the council the group has been active but faces recruitment challenges; he identified the mature-tree ordinance as a significant forthcoming workload.
• Public Works Director Sylvester Mabry and City Arborist Chris (last name recorded as Carlson/Krausteren in the transcript) said the committee provides oversight and advice on tree removals, heritage-tree nominations and urban-forest practices; they described the committee as an extra level of technical and community review that staff values.
• Deputy Mayor Lines said she sees value in keeping the committee but asked for clearer annual reporting so council can track accomplishments and measure whether the committee is producing results.
• Councilmember O'Hara voted “no” on the final motion, saying staff and contractors already perform many of UFAC's tasks and urging an efficiency review. The motion carried with one no vote.
What council asked staff and UFAC to do next
• UFAC will provide a retrospective of last year's outcomes and adopt annual reporting practices for future work plans.
• Staff will return with a report on UFAC’s effectiveness and options for reorganizing duties among commissions or creating a joint subcommittee; staff noted any change to a committee established in the municipal code may require code amendments.
Ending note: Councilmembers said they want stronger annual tracking and clearer outcomes while preserving technical review and community engagement on tree protection and urban-forest policies.
