Chino Hills council ratifies $9.04 million in payments; discusses $900,000 tree‑trimming budget and 40,000‑tree backlog

The Chino Hills City Council on Feb. 11 approved its consent calendar and separately ratified payments over $25,000 totaling $9,043,962.97 for the month ended Dec. 31, 2024, council records and the meeting transcript show.

Council members voted 5-0 to approve the consent calendar items 9 through 15 after one item (No. 11) was pulled for discussion; a later separate motion to ratify the large payments also passed 5-0.

Council member Marquez raised questions about tree-trimming invoices and the city's maintenance budget. "I did look at, the invoices for the month, And the issue that I wanted to bring up a little bit was tree trimming. I guess there was a cost, 3 invoices at a cost about 220,000. And I know our budget is about 900,000 a year," Marquez said during discussion.

A city staff member responding on behalf of the public works/maintenance program said the December total was higher than typical because about $150,000 of the roughly $230,000 spent that month paid for a special project on Grand Avenue. "Regarding payments to West West Arborist, for our tree trimming, maintenance services, we are on track. In December, we did spend a little bit more. Now we spent about $230,000 Of that, about 150,000 was for a special project to assess, trim, and remove some trees on Grand Avenue. So when you look at just the general's maintenance services, we're at about, about 82,000, which is on track on how much we're spending per month, for our tree maintenance services," the staff member said.

The staff member added trimming work varies seasonally and the city averages about $75,000 per month on the program. Council members referenced a long‑term goal of trimming the city's roughly 40,000 trees on a five‑year cycle and noted the current shortfall in Landscape & Lighting (L&L) revenue compared with maintenance costs. The staff member said the general fund is subsidizing the L&L program and that the council should consider options to provide additional funding if the five‑year trimming goal is to be met.

Council member Marquez moved to approve the payments and related consent items; the motion passed 5-0.

No ordinance changes or new permanent funding sources were adopted at the meeting; council discussion focused on the recent invoice totals, the special Grand Avenue project charge, seasonal workload and the longer‑term funding gap reported by staff.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of consent calendar (items 9-15, No. 11 pulled for separate discussion): motion and second not specified in the record; vote 5-0, outcome: approved. - Ratify payments over $25,000 totaling $9,043,962.97 for the month ended 12/31/2024: motion by Council member Marquez; second not specified; vote 5-0, outcome: approved.

Why this matters

The payments ratified include large, routine disbursements the city makes for services and projects. The tree‑trimming discussion highlighted that a one‑time uptick in December spending was driven by a specific Grand Avenue project, but it also brought into sharper focus a persistent funding gap for routine maintenance of a large municipal tree stock and the potential need for future council action on L&L funding or service levels.

What's next

Council did not adopt new fees or a funding plan at the meeting; staff and council members signaled they will continue to monitor L&L revenues and expenses and consider options to align the trimming program with the five‑year trimming objective.