Commissioners set limits on 'banking' removals, require notifications and allow penalties via fee schedule

Commissioners approved the concept of a limited 'banking' approach for healthy regulated trees on single-family and duplex lots: a household could remove more than the annual allowance in a single year but then would be prohibited from further removals during the banking period. Staff said attorneys were more comfortable with a two-year banking period rather than an indefinite moratorium tied to development.

The commission also moved to require that removals be reported to the city (a required notification form rather than a voluntary notice) so staff can track removal activity and enforce limits. On enforcement, staff proposed moving finer-grained penalty amounts into the municipal fee schedule (adopted by council) while keeping references to penalty assessment in the code. One commissioner argued the fee schedule makes it administratively easier to update fines; another preferred keeping penalties codified. The working consensus was to reference the fee schedule and present it to council with the ordinance.