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New Castle advisers approve order of up to 30 street trees and debate maintenance funding
Summary
The commission authorized ordering up to 30 street trees, agreed two members and advisers will finalize species and sites, and discussed using roughly half the budget for planting with the remainder for maintenance and contingencies; commissioners flagged an invoice of about $4,600 for ash-borer treatment that reduced available funds.
The New Castle Tree Advisory Commission voted to authorize the ordering of up to 30 street trees, delegating species and exact planting locations to two commission members and advisers who will finalize selections and place the nursery order.
A commissioner moved that the commission order 30 trees and permit two members with advisers to decide species and locations; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Members emphasized the need to act quickly because nurseries require early summer ordering; one commissioner said they planned to place the order next Wednesday unless availability made that impractical.
Why it matters: The order will shape the city's street-tree canopy in coming seasons. Commissioners sought to balance funding for planting with ongoing maintenance obligations, including watering, mulching, pruning and pest/disease management.
Budget discussion and uncertainties: With the city administrator and the regular budget reporter absent, the chair reported that the commission's budget request was approved "for the same amount as last year," and the phrase recorded in the transcript was "30 plus 10." The exact meaning of that phrasing was not clarified during the meeting; the transcript also records a paid invoice of about $4,600 for emerald ash borer treatment that the chair said ‘‘pretty much depleted our budget for 2026.' Commissioners debated keeping a roughly 50/50 split between planting and maintenance but agreed they would gather more cost estimates for mulch, fertilizing, monthly or seasonal weed checks, and watering so they could set a concrete allocation before finalizing the order.
Commissioners agreed to conduct small group site visits (limited-member outings to avoid creating a quorum) to pick fall planting locations and to email availability to schedule the work. One commissioner suggested setting aside $7,500 (one quarter of the budget) for tree‑pit maintenance as a working figure while collecting more exact contractor estimates.
Next steps: Two members and an adviser will meet to choose species and finalize the list; staff or the named commissioner will place the nursery order according to availability and deadline constraints.
