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Oakdale accepts $174,543 Met Council tree‑planting grant; council authorizes administrator to sign
Summary
The Oakdale City Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2025‑81 to accept a $174,543 Metropolitan Council community tree planting grant for removal and replacement of ash trees and authorized the city administrator to execute the grant agreement; the grant requires expenditures by June 30, 2027 and requires no local match.
The Oakdale City Council voted Aug. 26 to accept a $174,543 community tree planting grant from the Metropolitan Council and authorized the city administrator to execute the grant agreement.
Public Works Director Corey Tietz told the council the award will fund removal and replacement work in census block groups prioritized by a supplemental demographic index. The application requests removal of 109 trees in targeted census blocks, plus five additional trees identified in areas with elevated land surface temperatures, for a total of 114 trees proposed for removal and replacement under the grant.
"On Aug. 11, 2025, we're happy to report that the Metropolitan Council has awarded the city tree planting grant to the City of Oakdale in the amount of $174,543," Tietz said. He explained the grant covers contractor work, supplies and labor, requires plantings to follow specific ratios and that removals on streets and manicured parks must meet a minimum of one tree planted for each tree removed; parks and woodlands must plant at least one tree for every five removed.
Councilmembers asked whether the work applies only to public land; Tietz confirmed the grant covers public lands only. When asked how much of the city's ash tree population the grant addresses, Tietz said it is a "pretty small amount" — roughly 114 trees compared with an estimated couple thousand still remaining — but added that every bit helps.
A councilmember moved to waive reading and adopt Resolution 2025‑81 accepting the grant; the motion was seconded and adopted by voice vote with no recorded opposition. The council then moved and seconded an authorization for the city administrator to execute the Metropolitan Council grant agreement; that authorization also passed by voice vote.
The grant requires that expenses be incurred by June 30, 2027 and does not require a local match. Staff said the award will be used as a mix of contractor services and operational expenses to remove hazardous ash trees and replant replacements in the identified census blocks.
