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Dearborn Heights council study session reviews tree permit and planting fees, member reads resolution to pause removals
Summary
City staff and councilmembers debated raising tree permit and planting fees, the status of a municipal tree fund and homeowner vs. city responsibility for sidewalk and sewer damage; one councilmember read a draft resolution asking for a temporary halt to most tree removals pending ordinance review.
Dearborn Heights — City staff and councilmembers spent a study session reviewing the city’s tree ordinance, with staff saying current permit and planting fees are not covering administrative costs or the full city cost of replanting.
A Public Works representative identified as Speaker 1 told the council the $65 permit fee for trimming or removing a city tree “should be more in the 85 to a $100 range” when administrative investigations, supervisor site visits and finance processing are included. The same speaker said the planting fee of $350 does not cover the city’s planted cost, which “roughly costs us $600” once trees and contractor work are included, and recommended contracting planting work and raising planting fees toward $600–$700.
Why it matters: Councilmembers said a dedicated planting program has not been funded for more than a year and that higher fees could seed an account to permit a spring planting bid. Speaker 1…
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