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Council debates grant-backed pilot to help private owners remove dangerous storm-damaged trees
Summary
Councilmember Derek Shields proposed seeking community-foundation funds to subsidize private tree removals after the ice storm; members raised concerns about eligibility, workload and criteria and asked staff to continue developing a pilot approach.
Council Member Derek Shields asked the City of Petoskey on April 21 to explore a grant-backed pilot program to help private landowners pay for removing trees damaged by the March 29 ice storm.
Shields described outreach to the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation and suggested the city could apply to receive and disperse funds. He proposed a possible grant request of $20,000 with a $10,000 local match to create a $30,000 pool for residents who could not otherwise afford removal of trees that presented an immediate danger.
“...we wouldn't want ideally, we wouldn't want someone leaving a potentially dangerous tree because they don't have the funding for that,” Shields said, explaining the idea’s intent to protect residents who face safety risks.
Council concerns and alternatives
Several council members supported the concept in principle but raised practical concerns: how to define “dangerous,” the city’s administrative bandwidth to process applications, documentation and verification requirements (bids, insured contractors, insurance denials), prioritization for renters or homeowners and the potential for first-come, first-served rules to miss the most vulnerable residents. Council Member Nachtrob and Council Member Moore stressed the difficulty of objectively assessing hazard levels and the potential for unequal outcomes.
Council Member Walker proposed a possible partnership with Northern Michigan Community Action Agency, which already applies to local foundations for emergency funds, as a way to reduce city staff workload and leverage existing application review processes.
Next steps
No formal vote was taken. Shields volunteered to continue discussions with City Manager Shane Horn and with partners to develop clearer eligibility criteria and implementation options for a small pilot program and to return to the council with a refined proposal. Several council members said they preferred a narrowly defined, pilot approach rather than an open-ended program.
Ending
The council asked staff and interested council members to flesh out eligibility rules, possible matches, documentation standards and delivery mechanisms (city-administered vs. partner-administered) and bring a proposal back for future consideration.
