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Council adopts annual tree-maintenance assessment after 3–3 split; mayor breaks tie
Summary
Council approved a $200,000 annual assessment to fund a city forester and tree maintenance program after a 3–3 council split and the mayor casting the tie-breaking vote; staff said fee will be revisited after a street-maintenance study.
The Belgrade City Council voted to adopt a citywide assessment to fund tree maintenance and a new city forester position following a tie among council members and the mayor's tie-breaking vote.
City staff explained the resolution would assess approximately $200,000 across city parcels to support maintenance, removal and replacement of street trees and forestry services; staff cited Gallatin GIS data and a parcel count of 5,022 when discussing per-parcel calculations during the first reading. Staff said the initial revenue and assessment are intended to hire a forester and to create a city tree manual. "This resolution expresses the intent of the city council to assess across all city parcels an annual fee to support the maintenance, removal, replacement of city trees in the public right of way," staff said in the presentation. (Public hearing)
Council members asked whether all residential parcels would pay the same assessed amount regardless of whether they have boulevard trees, whether the city has a tree inventory (staff said they do not have a total tree count), and how the assessment relates to a separate street-maintenance study. Staff said the tree fee is separate from street fees; the tree assessment is meant to kick-start the forestry program while the street study continues. Staff also said the program would begin with outreach to homeowners before the city performed trimming or removal.
The roll call on the motion showed a 3–3 split among council members (Jason Guffey: No; Michael Meese: Aye; Jim Simon: No; Christine Manicucci: Yes; Aaron Bell: Yes; Renee Mademois: No). The mayor cast the tie-breaking vote in favor and the resolution passed. The council recorded that the mayor’s vote broke the tie and the motion passed by the mayor’s vote.
Implementation: staff indicated the fee would be used to hire the initial forester position, develop a tree manual, and perform outreach and remediation; staff said they expect to return with options for a more refined approach (including possible property-based weighting) after the street-maintenance study is complete.
Next steps: the city will proceed with hiring the forester and producing the tree manual; staff noted the program design and parcel assessment method could be reviewed and adjusted in future budget cycles.
