Every town, village, city, and county has ordinances. An ordinance is a written law adopted by a municipal governing authority, i.e., a town board, a village board, a city council, or a county board. Ordinances address things like public health and safety, land use and zoning, and government administration.
A municipal code of ordinances provides an organized location for all current rules and regulations affecting the municipality. It provides citizens, municipal staff, and third parties with one basic source for knowing the current rules and regulations of the municipality.
Ordinances are put into place to protect the safety and well-being of their municipality as a whole. They ensure the municipality will be fair and consistent with all businesses, property owners, and residents within the municipality.
Ordinance on Spotlight is designed to bring awareness to current City Ordinances. Knowledge and transparency are keys to happiness and success!
CHAPTER 4. TREES AND SHRUBS
Sec. 6-4-7. Trimming.
(a) Trees standing in or upon any terrace, public area or upon any private premises adjacent to any public right-of-way or public areas shall be kept trimmed so that the lowest branches projecting over the public street or alley provide a clearance of not less than fourteen (14) feet. The Director of Public Services, or his designee, may waive the provisions of this Section for newly planted trees if he determines that they do not interfere with public travel, obstruct the light of any streetlight or endanger public safety.
(b) The necessity of the pruning may be determined by the Director of Public Services or his designee.
(c) Clearance from sidewalk to lower branches shall not be less than eight (8) feet. All trees standing upon private property in the City, the branches of which extend over the line of the street, shall be trimmed so that no branch shall grow or hang over the line of the sidewalk lower than eight (8) feet above the level of the sidewalk. No tree shall be permitted to grow in such a manner as to obstruct the proper diffusion of light from any public lamp.
(d) Trimming or pruning of more than two-thirds (⅔) of the crown of a public area tree shall be considered to be a major alteration and shall require a permit from the Director of Public Services or his designee.
(Ord. No. 977, § 1, 7-13-99)
Sec. 6-4-9. Removal of Trees and Stumps.
(a) Dangerous, Obstructive and Infected Trees. Any tree or part thereof, whether alive or dead, which the Director of Public Services, or his designee, shall find to be infected, hazardous or a nuisance so as to endanger the general public or other trees or plants growing within the City, or to be injurious to sewers, sidewalks or other public improvements whether growing upon public or private premises, or trees damaged or felled by forces of nature, shall be removed, trimmed or treated by the owner of the property upon or adjacent to which such tree or part thereof is located. The Director of Public Services or his designee shall give written notice to said owner to remedy the situation which shall be served personally or posted upon the affected tree. Such notice shall specifically state the period of time within which the action must be taken, which shall be within not less than twenty-four (24) hours nor more than fourteen (14) days as determined by the Director of Public Services or his designee on the basis of the seriousness of the condition of the tree or danger to the public. If the owner shall fail to remove, treat or trim said tree within the time limited, the Director of Public Services or his designee shall cause the tree to be removed, treated or trimmed and shall report the full cost thereof to the City Clerk/Treasurer, who shall thereupon enter such cost as a special charge against the property.
(b) Removal Standards. In cutting down trees located in public and terrace areas, the tree must be removed with the root stump grubbed out or ground out to a depth of at least twelve (12) inches below grade measured in a straight line with the normal grade of sidewalk to top of curb. All wood and debris must be removed from the street prior to the end of each working day and all holes shall be filled to normal grade level with topsoil as soon as practicable. The abutting property owner shall have a right of first refusal to keep the wood, provided such wood is not diseased.
(c) Private Removal. No person, firm, organization or corporation shall plant, injure, trim, remove or destroy any tree or shrub located in or upon any public place, until a permit shall have been issued by the City Forester or his designee. Such permit shall be issued only when the removal, trimming or cutting of the tree or shrub is necessary, as determined by the City Forester or his designee, because of disease, damage, hazardous condition, and/or location, or its location is such that substantial detriment is done to the property upon which the tree stands, or property abutting the same. Such permit shall expressly state the premises upon which the tree stands and the location of the tree thereon.
(Ord. No. 2022-17, § I, 11-22-22)
Note:
