Residents press Denison council for faster ash-tree removals and disposal options

During public comment a resident, Jennifer Kinsey, told the council she had two ash trees in her front yard that had been tagged for at least two years and asked why removal has been slow and what the city can do to prevent branches from falling on houses or power lines.

Why it matters: The city faces a high volume of ash-tree removals following an infestation or disease; residents expressed safety concerns, disposal constraints and frustration about scheduling delays.

What staff said: City staff said crews are prioritizing the worst trees first, that the city relies on borrowed county equipment for some work and that burn bans and landfill limits complicate disposal. Staff noted prior practice of contracting out smaller groupings of trees and that last year a local contractor won a bid to remove about 15 trees under a set-aside budget. The staff member suggested collecting addresses and having public works re-inspect problematic trees so crews can adjust priorities.

Council discussion and options: Councilors discussed whether residual funds from the public-works budget could be reallocated to hire contractors, whether road-use or capital funds could be used for larger removal projects, and whether the city could identify a temporary site for burning or chipping (farmersor borrow pits were mentioned). A staff member said regulatory limits require burn sites to be a set distance from structures and waterways, narrowing options.

Next steps: Staff said they would follow up by re-inspecting reported addresses, explore contracting multiple small vendors to share the workload, and research temporary disposal/burning locations or other disposal partners; council did not take a formal vote on a separate funding allocation tonight.

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