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Subcommittee advances urban woodlands ordinance summary, forwards it to law department
Summary
The Springfield Sustainable and Environmental Subcommittee reviewed a field survey and agreed to send a SCANS summary to the law department so staff can draft an ordinance; the committee expects a rough draft in about three to four weeks.
Councilor Philip Davila convened the Sustainable and Environmental Subcommittee on Aug. 4 to continue work on a proposed Urban Woodlands ordinance and to review a field survey designed to inform mitigation and inventory procedures. Members heard from SCANS representative Derek Pando and City Forester Alex Sherman about how a small-lot survey would work and what the draft summary recommends before formal drafting.
Derek Pando said the law department recommended that SCANS deliver a goals-oriented summary the city would convert into ordinance language consistent with the City of Springfield charter and existing ordinances. “I submitted this updated document, in email to counsel and the counsel staff, as well as the legal department,” Pando said, providing the version the committee reviewed. The subcommittee agreed to forward the summary to the law department for drafting and to reconvene once a rough draft is available.
City Attorney Ken Sheyar told the committee the summary is thorough and that the law department would review it against charter and ordinance language. When asked for a rough timeline, Sheyar said he would pass the committee’s request to the city solicitor and that “3 to 4 weeks” seemed reasonable given other workloads. The committee concluded with a plan to meet again in roughly three weeks to review the draft and prepare for chamber discussion.
