Mount Pleasant utility defends tree‑clearing program and council approves $66,000 trimming contract

Mount Pleasant — Mount Pleasant’s municipal power staff outlined its vegetation‑management and fire‑mitigation program on Nov. 18 and the city council approved a $66,000 contract with Desert Tree Works to continue high‑voltage line clearing.

Shane, a Mount Pleasant utility representative, told the council the program began in 2022–23 after a rise in outages and overtime associated with trimming. “Our mission…we safely provide reliable, environmentally friendly power at a competitive cost,” Shane said, and described a 12‑foot clearance zone around 3‑phase lines required under utility practice and the National Electrical Safety Code. He said the program has reduced outages, decreased overtime, and helped meter‑reading reliability after crews removed trees touching lines.

Shane described how the city uses a private contractor for hard‑to‑reach or high‑voltage trimming work to keep internal crew time focused on core line work. He said the city offers a cost‑share arrangement when trimming involves privately owned trees that encroach into the utility zone: if the tree is on private property but affects the line, the utility will pay half of removal costs and the property owner pays the rest and may receive a replacement tree. “We tried to be as transparent as we can,” Shane said, and acknowledged shortcomings in communicating the program to residents.

Council members pressed staff on scheduling and billing. Staff clarified the contractor (identified in testimony as Nick of Desert Tree Works) works for the city on specific weekdays (Tuesday–Thursday) and that customer‑paid jobs done privately on the contractor’s off days are handled and invoiced through the utility, not the contractor directly. Staff said weekly records are reconciled and city staff handle collection.

Council debated whether to require a purchase order or additional pre‑work sign‑offs before payment for large contracts. Shane said the tree program was budgeted under professional services and offered to return with a PO for transparency. Council ultimately voted to approve requisition 111420250643, a $66,000 payment to Desert Tree Works for high‑voltage trimming.

The council’s vote followed earlier approvals of related utility requisitions: $7,540 to TRC for transmission engineering and $57,649.27 for a coupling/repair system related to a hydro unit (approved separately). The utility said it plans further outreach on the trimming program via the city website and social media.

Next steps: staff said remaining trimming areas will be addressed as contracted crews complete the work and that the city will continue to monitor reliability metrics and public communications.