Fayette Tree Board asks aldermen for $6,000 as 12 trees set to be planted to secure $6,614.40 grant reimbursement

Bekki Galloway, representing Fayette’s Tree Board, asked the Board of Aldermen on April 14 to approve a $6,000 budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year and outlined planting and maintenance plans that would secure a $6,614.40 Cost Share Grant reimbursement.

Galloway summarized the board’s work over the past year — watering, planting, tree removals, community education and an Arbor Day celebration — and said the Tree Board expects to plant 12 trees the following week to meet grant requirements. She told aldermen the requested $6,000 would be used for treating nine ash trees, replacing and maintaining trees, and supporting outreach with schools and the community.

The request was presented during the invited-guest portion of the meeting and was heard alongside routine municipal business. Mayor Greg Stidham and council members thanked the Tree Board for volunteer efforts; no formal budget vote was recorded in the meeting minutes and any final appropriation will follow the City’s usual budget process.

The Tree Board’s plan relies on the Cost Share Grant reimbursement and local matching work; Galloway’s presentation emphasized that timely planting is necessary to secure the $6,614.40 reimbursement. The board did not specify an exact funding source within the City budget during the meeting.

The next procedural step will be for the City’s finance staff and the aldermen to place the Tree Board request within the upcoming budget deliberations and return with a formal appropriation or amendment, if approved.