Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges council to protect due-process after Shade Tree Commission letters
Summary
A resident said letters from the Shade Tree Commission asking owners to remove trees deprived residents of the opportunity to challenge findings, cited the 14th Amendment and called some municipal actions ultra vires; he urged Council to ensure due process protections.
At the Nov. 5 Town Council meeting, resident Yehudah Aronson raised a complaint about letters the Shade Tree Commission sent to property owners identifying trees alleged to be dead, decaying or hazardous and asking owners to remove them after submitting a permit application.
Aronson said the letters appeared to deprive residents of a meaningful opportunity to challenge the Commission's findings and invoked the 14th Amendment's due-process protections. He also said he believes some municipal actions regarding tree removals have been ultra vires—taken without legal authority—and urged Council to ensure residents can appeal or otherwise challenge such actions.
Council did not take action on the Shade Tree Commission procedures during the Nov. 5 meeting; Council President Rob Jacobs confirmed the next Commission meeting was rescheduled to Nov. 18 and the resident's remarks were entered into the record for Council consideration.
