Commission backs sending tree-mitigation fund amendment to council after safety, funding questions

The Brooksville Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council consider amending section 4-5.8 of the municipal code so the tree mitigation fund may be used not only to plant trees on public property and rights-of-way but also to remove dead trees and fund trimming and pruning to recognized arboricultural standards.

Staff explained the proposed change would address safety and maintenance issues by allowing the fund to pay for consultant or contractor work that city crews cannot perform, such as bucket trucks and other equipment needed to reach high canopy limbs. Staff said there is currently no dollar cap written into the amendment text and that the mitigation fund balance can be used for the listed activities; staff estimated the mitigation fund balance at around $230,000.

Lewis Howell, a resident of Brooksville, urged a policy to reserve a percentage of the fund annually for planting so maintenance does not consume planting capital. Lisa Hendrickson, the City Manager, cited notice from the County Fire Department that low, overgrown limbs on some streets are preventing safe ladder-truck access — a public-safety motive the staff said supports the amendment.

A commissioner moved to forward the amendment to City Council for approval; the motion was seconded and passed with no objections recorded in the transcript. The recommendation will proceed to city council for formal consideration. The commission did not adopt a written cap or percentage in the meeting record; that question remains for council or future ordinance language.