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Rothschild board approves revised oak-wilt reimbursement program to emphasize prevention
Summary
The Village of Rothschild approved revisions to its Oak Wilt Reimbursement Program to shift from reactive tree removals to proactive prevention, keeping an annual $8,000 budget; the measure passed 6-1 with Trustee Deb Ehster opposed.
The Village of Rothschild board voted April 14 to approve revisions to the Department of Public Works (DPW) Forestry Policy Manual establishing a revised “Oak Wilt Reimbursement Program.”
Timothy Vergara, the village’s administrator of public works, and village forester Greg Seefeldt outlined changes intended to move the program from largely reactive tree removal toward proactive spread-prevention practices. The program remains first-come, first-served and retains an annual budget of $8,000 for reimbursements.
Vergara told the board the original program permitted continuous removals without robust prevention practices and that the revisions add specific prevention-oriented requirements. The Board approved the revised manual on a 6-1 vote; Trustee Deb Ehster cast the lone dissent.
The revision does not change the $8,000 annual budget. The board did not specify additional eligibility caps or per-property limits in the meeting record; those details are included in the submitted manual on file with village staff.
Next steps: staff will implement the revised criteria in the DPW Forestry Policy Manual and administer reimbursements under the updated program. No additional appropriations were identified at the meeting.
