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Shade Tree Commission urges Sayreville to enforce shade-tree ordinance and stop using the tree bank as a de facto 'piggy bank'
Summary
Art Rittenhouse, chair of the Shade Tree Commission, told the Planning Board that departments and boards have not consistently followed the borough's shade-tree ordinance, reducing deposits into the tree bank; the commission asked the borough to ensure ordinance compliance and to work on grant opportunities tied to tree-city status.
Art Rittenhouse, chair of the Shade Tree Commission, and vice chair Ed Grillo used the Planning Board's public time to say the commission has spent the past year reviewing the shade-tree ordinance and the town's tree bank and has found inconsistent compliance across boards and departments.
"A lot of boards and a lot of different groups in town departments are not really following what the ordinance says," Rittenhouse said, arguing that when agencies fail to follow the ordinance money that should go into the tree bank instead comes from other accounts. He added that some departments treat the tree bank as a "piggy bank," a practice the commission wants to stop.
Rittenhouse and Grillo urged the board and staff to review the commission's copy of the ordinance and consider ensuring that development approvals and agency procedures enforce tree-bank deposits consistently. They said the commission is tracking tree removals and related paperwork so the borough can pursue tree-city designation and grant opportunities with partners such as Elise Perrone.
The commission emphasized two actions: that boards follow the existing ordinance when authorizing development, and that the borough ensure money meant for the tree bank is actually deposited there. The Planning Board thanked the commission for its service and invited members to meet with staff if follow-up is needed.
Next steps: the commission left a copy of the shade-tree ordinance for the board and asked staff to circulate it to departments; the commission continues its review work and will attend future meetings to monitor compliance.
