Council approves contract increase with West Coast Arborist and a new city tree-removal fee

The Garden Grove City Council approved an amendment to the city’s contract with West Coast Arborist, increasing the available annual contract amount by $350,000, and adopted a resolution establishing a new city tree removal fee charged to residents who petition the city.

Public Works staff explained the tree and flood-control maintenance section manages roughly 16,000 street trees and is currently operating short three full-time maintenance workers and one part-time trainee. The city uses West Coast Arborist for periodic trimming and supplemental services, including crew rental, and is piggybacking on Rancho Cucamonga’s multi-year contract with that vendor.

What the council approved - Contract amendment: increase the West Coast Arborist annual contract ceiling by $350,000 to allow additional trimming, stump removal and crew rental services as needed. Staff said these supplemental services are used on an as‑needed basis and would be used to address staffing shortages and urgent requests during wind or storm events. - New tree-removal fee: staff recommended and council adopted a fee for resident petitions to remove street trees; the fee was set at the vendor rate West Coast Arborist charges for tree and stump removal, which varies by tree size. Staff estimated the new fee will generate about $50,000 per year.

Fiscal and staffing details Public Works staff said the section is operating with roughly one-third of its typical maintenance staffing out for leaves or vacancies; the contracted services and fee revenue combined with projected salary savings did not require an additional appropriation for the current fiscal year, staff said. The resolution establishing the fee was adopted consistent with Garden Grove Municipal Code chapter 11.32.060.

Council discussion and vote Council members praised staff’s work on the municipal tree ordinance and stressed the importance of replanting when a street tree is removed. One councilmember requested competitive bidding for future contract work; another sought clarity that the fee will cover the vendor charge only and does not include city staff processing time. The motion to increase the contract and adopt the tree removal fee passed 6–1, with Mayor Pro Tem Joe Dovin voting no.

Ending Staff will proceed with the contract amendment and implement the new fee schedule; councilmembers asked staff to return with performance reporting and to continue evaluating staffing levels and cost recovery.