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Livonia council hears request to boost tree‑trimming funds to $425,000 after storms
Summary
DPW asked the council to increase forestry contract funding by $175,000 — to $425,000 total — to address storm‑related backlog and roughly 350 open trimming requests; council discussed capacity, timing and vendor management.
The Department of Public Works asked the City Council on July 7 to approve a $175,000 increase to the forestry contract with Sod Solutions, raising the available budget for tree trimming and emergency removals from $250,000 to $425,000 for 2025.
DPW staff said last summer’s storms increased requests for trimming and removals and created a backlog; the department described roughly 350 open tree requests and said the additional funds would let the current vendor increase operations. The contract covers section trimming, emergency removals after storms and other resident requests; DPW said they expect to assign work through City Works and hope to clear the backlog within about a year, though timing is weather‑dependent.
Councilmembers pressed staff on capacity and oversight. One member asked whether the vendor could keep up or whether the city should add vendors; staff said Sod Solutions has told them it has bandwidth to perform the work. Another asked whether city staff must manage the work orders; DPW said staff will run the City Works assignments and the contractor will perform the field work.
DPW asked council to approve the increase from budgeted forestry funds; council moved to place the item on consent for the July 21 vote. Officials said the request is intended to restore service levels and reduce safety risks from dead or hanging branches, and that resident demand is driving near‑term increases in cost.
