Residents press council on tree-planting program and ballot-funded reforestation; council and staff defend implementation

Multiple residents used the communications-from-citizens period to raise concerns about the city's tree-planting program and the ballot measure that funded it. One speaker criticized the ballot language and objected to a planned Pride flag-raising ceremony; another resident said newly planted street trees were placed above his house’s drain line and asked whether the city checked utility locations before planting.

City Manager Mark Vanderpool responded that the program aims to restore canopy lost to the emerald ash borer (he said the city had to remove about 12,000 neighborhood trees) and that staff provided public information materials about the reforestation program. Vanderpool and other councilmembers said the city intends to plant a diversity of Michigan‑adapted species and to avoid plantings that conflict with water and sewer connections when possible; they also noted residents receive advance notice before plantings and can request site-specific review.

Councilmembers defended the voter-approved measure, noting substantial voter turnout and majority approval; several members urged patience as the program proceeds and said staff will address individual placement issues. A councilmember also raised a separate resident-service example: an 86‑year‑old homeowner who was cited for overgrown grass and later billed for city contractor mowing; council discussion urged more empathetic handling of vulnerable residents and said the city waived part of the administrative fee in that case.