[15:12] Welcome everybody. I'd like to call to
[15:14] order the tree commission for Thursday,
[15:16] March 5th, 2026. First item on the
[15:18] agenda is roll call. Um we'll go around
[15:22] and just introduce ourselves. Joe, you
[15:24] want to start us off?
[15:24] » Joe Saleam, city engineer
[15:27] » Leaking off. Uh, Commissioner Jordi
[15:29] Vite, Commissioner Miriam Waldner,
[15:32] Commissioner
[15:33] » Joey Schugle, Park and Recreation
[15:34] Director for the City of New. Right.
[15:37] Thank you and welcome everybody. Um,
[15:39] next item on the agenda then is the
[15:41] approval of our agenda. Um,
[15:45] be looking for a motion and second.
[15:47] » Second.
[15:48] » A motion.
[15:49] » Okay.
[15:49] » Second.
[15:50] » Okay. Motion and second to approve our
[15:52] agenda. Any other questions or
[15:54] discussion?
[15:56] All in favor say I.
[15:57] » I.
[15:58] » I.
[15:58] » Approve. Motion carries.
[16:01] Um, next item on the agenda then is the
[16:03] approval of minutes. Um, and we did not
[16:06] have a January meeting, so it's looking
[16:08] for the minutes for November 6. Um,
[16:11] anybody have any questions or changes?
[16:16] » No. And I make a [snorts] motion to
[16:18] approve the minutes from the November
[16:20] 6th meeting.
[16:21] » Second. Have a motion and second to
[16:24] approve the minutes from the November
[16:25] 6th, 2025 meeting. Any other questions
[16:28] or discussion? Right. All in favor say
[16:31] I.
[16:31] » I.
[16:31] » I.
[16:32] » Oppos. Motion carries.
[16:34] All right. First item under old business
[16:37] is our city reimbursement program and
[16:40] budget updates. Um Jill, whenever you're
[16:43] ready.
[16:43] » All right. Thank you, Mr. Chair,
[16:45] commission members. Um [clears throat]
[16:47] the 2026 budget was uh budget sheet was
[16:50] included within your agenda packets
[16:52] today. Um the city council did approve
[16:54] the carryover for those unused diseal
[17:00] um that 75,000 that was left in the
[17:02] budget from last year. So right now we
[17:05] are looking at a budget amount available
[17:07] to us of $89,000 um just just over
[17:11] $89,000 but the bulk of bulk of that is
[17:14] earmarked for uh disease tree removal.
[17:21] Okay, thank you. Any questions or
[17:29] no? All right. Um then we will move on
[17:33] to report um park and recck department.
[17:37] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Commissioners, uh
[17:39] a few items to to update you on. Um
[17:42] first off, there's roughly about 30 ash
[17:45] trees left in on city park property. Uh
[17:48] so that's greatly um reduced from where
[17:51] we started. uh that was due to both
[17:54] contracted removals and our department
[17:56] staff also having uh wherewithal to
[17:59] remove some of those some of those
[18:00] disease trees as well. Uh our goal is to
[18:04] um
[18:07] over the next 1 to two years um
[18:09] hopefully have that number down to only
[18:13] treated. We we do have a few trees that
[18:15] have been treated over the years. If you
[18:17] think about near the German Park
[18:18] amphitheater, we have a couple ash trees
[18:20] that have been treated. um and
[18:23] potentially looking at North Park um in
[18:26] areas where people uh congregate and use
[18:29] shade for watching ball games and stuff
[18:31] like that. So um but that number is
[18:33] expected to um reduce here over this
[18:37] this summer yet again and then
[18:39] potentially um in a couple years we may
[18:42] not have any ash trees in parks. So it
[18:44] just depends on how they react to th
[18:47] those treatments, the ones that are
[18:48] being treated. Uh, additionally on that,
[18:51] uh, our crews are are have have done
[18:53] some trimming over the winter, uh,
[18:55] especially on the on the bike trail and
[18:57] different areas where mowers are
[18:59] impacted. Uh, we'll continue to do that
[19:01] as, uh, weather allows. Uh, it's getting
[19:04] to be a tough time to get in some of the
[19:05] turf areas to do that. Um, but if
[19:09] opportunity presents itself, that will
[19:10] be continued. Um and then I I I wanted
[19:14] to end the report um with just kind of
[19:17] an update on tree commission and some of
[19:20] the things that city council has talked
[19:22] about. And uh I think all of you are are
[19:25] aware that uh there has been some
[19:27] discussion of
[19:31] overall city reduction of commissions.
[19:33] There's 13 city commissions currently
[19:35] and looking at are there ways to not
[19:38] lose what those commissions do but also
[19:41] either merge or or find a a a different
[19:45] avenue to do that uh do that same work
[19:48] that is being done. So um there no
[19:51] decision has been made yet. You know the
[19:53] mayor is is is in charge of city
[19:55] commissions. uh she has asked staff um
[20:00] recommendations or how this could look
[20:04] um if the tree commission wasn't around.
[20:07] And uh one of the things that I did tell
[20:10] her is um as Mayor Ber uh one of the
[20:13] things I had said is the park and rec
[20:16] commission could take on the the
[20:18] business of what the tree commission
[20:20] does with um some placeholders for
[20:24] advisory members and you know um none of
[20:28] those details have been pursued. That
[20:30] would have to be a council action item
[20:31] to to take that. Um but if they would
[20:34] take that route then we'd anticipate
[20:38] inviting those advisory members when
[20:40] there is tree related business to be
[20:42] conducted. So it wouldn't necessarily be
[20:45] every month um but it could be if there
[20:47] is um is that so um I don't know if it's
[20:51] advisory member members what that could
[20:54] potentially look like but um again no
[20:56] decisions been made. It has been talked
[20:58] about at a work session uh to this point
[21:00] and I I think it would is going to come
[21:04] back to council at some point, but
[21:06] that's where we're at as of today, which
[21:08] is March 5th.
[21:09] » Okay.
[21:10] » So, any questions on any of
[21:12] » I'd be interested in
[21:15] joining over, you know. Sure. Yeah.
[21:17] » Great. Yeah. So, and then then if if we
[21:20] do take that step, then we would have to
[21:22] look at what that process looks like.
[21:23] And then and certainly um one thing that
[21:26] I did want to add in that is I
[21:28] appreciate your commitment to this
[21:29] commission. Um and it is important stuff
[21:33] that we're doing um and we do know that
[21:36] we're addressing things outside of parks
[21:39] as well on on this commission. So, that
[21:42] would be something um new for the the
[21:45] park and recck commission.
[21:46] » Sure. So,
[21:48] » So Joey, then I take it the plan is for
[21:51] the ash trees that are currently
[21:53] treated. You're just going to continue
[21:55] with that until there's a point where it
[21:57] doesn't make sense or they start not
[21:58] doing well kind of.
[22:00] » Great question, Mr. Chair. I I think
[22:02] we're looking at um you know, how
[22:04] they're responding each year. You know,
[22:06] every year is a little different. So, um
[22:08] looking at that and if they are
[22:10] continuing to respond, I mean that that
[22:13] is something that we would plan to
[22:14] continue.
[22:15] » Yes.
[22:15] » Okay. Good. Any other questions from any
[22:18] other commissioners?
[22:22] » All right. Um item 5.3, public works
[22:26] update. Um anybody?
[22:27] » Mr. Chair, I do have a couple updates
[22:29] from uh Mr. Huffman and commissioners.
[22:31] Uh so Mr. Huffman uh did just want me,
[22:34] he couldn't be here today, but he did
[22:36] just wanted me to update that his crews
[22:37] were busy trimming over the winter as
[22:40] normal uh conditions um have allowed
[22:44] them to take care of a good number of of
[22:47] uh what they normally hit over a normal
[22:50] winter. Um in addition to stump
[22:53] grinding, I think last meeting and you
[22:55] saw in the meetings they they only had
[22:57] about 30 stumps left. Um
[23:01] they are they do still have some stumps
[23:03] left but they have reduced that number
[23:04] as well. I don't have the exact number.
[23:06] Um but that was the the public works
[23:09] report for today.
[23:11] » Okay. Good.
[23:13] » All right. Um next then would be our
[23:15] private tree service update. Um Tony's
[23:17] not here and I guess Joey doesn't have
[23:19] anything. So we'll move on to item 5.5.
[23:22] Um emerald ashbor update. Joe.
[23:25] » All right. Thank you, Mr. Chair,
[23:26] commission members. our city tree
[23:28] inspector uh Mr. Anderson up in my
[23:30] office uh did update our EAB numbers. So
[23:33] just sharing that and that was it's was
[23:35] also on the budget reimburse um budget
[23:37] form too. You may have seen that. But
[23:39] we're estimating about 273
[23:42] uh boulevard ash trees remaining um
[23:44] within the city and approximately 58 ash
[23:48] trees on city property remain. So we
[23:51] were we submitted that DNR grant. So,
[23:54] uh, unfortunately, we were not, uh,
[23:56] awarded a grant award for the EAB
[23:59] removals, but we will, uh, keep trying.
[24:03] » Yeah. When the next grant opens up next
[24:04] year. So,
[24:06] » Okay. Okay.
[24:07] » I'm assuming too when you're doing your
[24:09] utility construction, [clears throat]
[24:10] if there's ash in those areas, that's
[24:12] kind of focusing as well.
[24:13] » Correct. Yep. Yep. Yeah. If there's uh
[24:16] um, well, you'll see it in 2027 on
[24:19] Garden Street between Center and Fifth.
[24:21] A lot of those trees are in very poor
[24:23] shape. So, that corridor is going to
[24:24] look much different, but we'll get those
[24:26] diseased trees out of out of the roadway
[24:28] corridor there. But, that's standard
[24:30] practice in all uh street and utility
[24:33] reconstructs if we get those bad trees
[24:35] out.
[24:36] » Okay, good. Any other questions?
[24:41] All right, we'll move on to item 5.6
[24:43] then, uh, utility billing information
[24:46] inserts, which is coming up fast.
[24:48] » Yeah. Uh, Mr. Mr. Chair, commissioners,
[24:50] I I think um with this item, uh I think
[24:54] some of the decisions made in new
[24:55] business might impact the the insert,
[24:57] but I um usually our the tree advisory
[25:01] commission's time for the uh utility
[25:03] insert is April. Uh so if there are some
[25:06] decisions to move forward with the big
[25:07] tree contest and potentially do the same
[25:10] thing we did last year as having the
[25:12] disease tree removal program on one side
[25:14] of it as well then um we would just need
[25:17] to make uh some motions under new
[25:20] business to do that and then we would
[25:21] carry that forward in April.
[25:23] » Okay.
[25:24] » Okay. Um with that said then I will move
[25:28] on to new business. Um item 6.1 is the
[25:32] home show. Um we haven't had a meeting,
[25:34] but we typically have done the home show
[25:36] in the past. Um so I guess uh Joy, did
[25:39] you have something you wanted to start
[25:40] us off with?
[25:40] » Yeah. So, Mr. Chair, commissioners, um
[25:44] the home health and recreation show is
[25:46] in your approved budget uh to
[25:48] participate in that. Um there there have
[25:52] been a number of years that the tree
[25:55] commission has been represented. There
[25:56] are also has been some years that the
[25:58] tree commission has not been represented
[25:59] as well. um even with those budgeted
[26:02] dollars in there. Um so the the show is
[26:06] March 27th from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. and
[26:08] March 28th from 9 to 4:00 p.m. If you
[26:11] recall last year um everyone split up
[26:14] shifts and staffed that and and
[26:16] commissioners have staffed that and
[26:18] obviously you look around the table and
[26:19] there are less commissioners this year.
[26:22] Um, I did talk to our advisory member,
[26:25] Tony Guggisburg, who is also on the
[26:28] planning committee for the home health
[26:29] and recreation show, and he says there
[26:32] are options to have booths that are not
[26:36] staffed as well or a combination of not
[26:39] staffed. And he he also he did make the
[26:41] comment to me that sometimes those
[26:44] unstaffed booths go over better because
[26:47] people will grab the information cuz
[26:49] they're not necessarily pressured. that
[26:50] that came from him, not my opinion. So,
[26:54] um so that is something to think about.
[26:56] That's why uh on this item um if the
[26:58] commission does move forward, uh there
[27:00] isn't certainly pressure to cover all
[27:03] the hours of the home show if there's a
[27:05] desire um or no hours or a hybrid appro
[27:09] approach if
[27:10] » I won't be here that week be around. So,
[27:14] » So
[27:15] » I'll be I [clears throat] I can be
[27:16] around. and I can help set up and tear
[27:18] down and if we do, you know, a couple
[27:21] hours to staff it, we can do that. So,
[27:23] » Yeah. And I'm sure I can get some time
[27:26] in there Friday and or Saturday as well.
[27:31] I guess it's up to the commission what
[27:33] you want to do.
[27:34] » I think we should have a presence there
[27:36] just to promote the uh the the
[27:39] reimbursement program. Again,
[27:41] » That's a good point,
[27:42] » You know, because a lot of people still
[27:44] don't know about it and how it works.
[27:46] So,
[27:46] » And and there are a lot of dollars in
[27:48] the budget, you know, for that program
[27:50] and um
[27:51] » That can help greatly reduce our disease
[27:54] trees.
[27:54] » There's yeah, still a lot of ash trees
[27:57] to work on and boulevards and that. So,
[28:01] » So if there is a desire, we would we
[28:03] would need a motion for that. And then
[28:04] if that is the case, then staff would go
[28:06] forward and get us registered for that
[28:09] event.
[28:10] I'll make a motion that we uh
[28:12] participate in the uh home and health
[28:15] and recreation show March 27th and 28th.
[28:18] » Second. Okay. Have a motion and second
[28:20] to participate in the 2026 home health
[28:23] and recreation show in March. Any other
[28:26] questions or discussion?
[28:28] » Right. All in favor say I.
[28:29] » I.
[28:30] » Opposed. Motion carries.
[28:32] Um do we need to before I move on to
[28:35] 6.2, two. Do we need to talk about um
[28:39] information and that stuff that we want
[28:41] there
[28:42] or you want to
[28:44] » Commissioners if you're if you're
[28:46] comfortable with um a lot of the
[28:48] materials that we've done in the past
[28:50] within reason within budget. Um you do
[28:53] have budgeted dollars for printing costs
[28:55] as well um in our approved 2026 budget.
[29:00] um that normally what we would do is do
[29:04] the utility insert and also materials
[29:07] for the home show at the same time. Uh
[29:09] since timing lines up and uh
[29:13] and banners and things like that, uh I
[29:16] can provide it set up, too. So, I'm
[29:18] happy to
[29:19] start to work on some of that if if
[29:21] that's a desire of the commission.
[29:23] » That would work for us.
[29:24] » Yep. Yep. Sounds good. All right. Thank
[29:27] you. Um then kind of along that lines,
[29:30] one of our annual things is the big tree
[29:32] contest. So item 6.2.
[29:34] Um looks like submissions are due by
[29:36] July 31st, 2026. But we also need to
[29:40] decide on a spec species. Yes. Um so in
[29:44] your agenda was the list of previous
[29:46] species from 2009 to 2025 along with
[29:51] some of the number of submissions. So
[29:53] some of the recents uh from 2025 was
[29:56] GKO. Then we did elm in 2024, river
[30:00] birch in 2023, hickory in 2022, Kentucky
[30:04] coffee tree in 2021.
[30:06] Um, and then Ohio Buckeye would be 2020,
[30:10] just as a refresher.
[30:28] So,
[30:31] have any ideas on what we want to do
[30:33] this year? Obviously, we're going to be
[30:35] doing probably repeating something we've
[30:37] done in the past, but
[30:39] » Yeah, I think we will be repeating
[30:42] um
[30:44] we have not done it does not and any
[30:46] anybody can correct me if I'm misreading
[30:48] quickly looking at this, but we have not
[30:50] done like oak, maple, hackberry.
[30:52] » I was going to say hackberry.
[30:55] » Yeah.
[30:57] » Okay, we can do hackberry.
[30:59] » Hackberry. Okay. All right. I think so.
[31:02] Um, [clears throat] so then we would be
[31:03] looking for a motion on the species for
[31:06] the big tree contest.
[31:11] » Hi. [laughter]
[31:14] » Back and forth. I'll make a motion that
[31:16] we uh
[31:17] » Pick hackberry for the 2026 uh big tree
[31:21] contest.
[31:23] » Okay. And you second. All right. So, we
[31:25] have a motion and second for hackberry
[31:27] to be the tree species for the 2026 big
[31:30] tree contest. That would be a good one.
[31:32] [snorts]
[31:32] » Any other questions or discussion?
[31:34] » And normally Mr. Anderson prepares those
[31:36] materials for that uh
[31:38] » Yep.
[31:38] » For that contest. So, he would hopefully
[31:41] start working on that so we can
[31:43] » Have those available for print for the
[31:44] insert and a home show.
[31:46] » You can email Jeff. You know, I'll be
[31:48] out next week. Yep. You'll be able to
[31:49] take care of it. No problem.
[31:50] » Needs help or anything, just, you know,
[31:53] feel free to reach out as well. So, yep.
[31:55] Okay. Um, so have a motion and second.
[31:58] Any other questions or discussion? All
[32:01] right. All in favor say I.
[32:03] » I.
[32:04] » I.
[32:04] » Motion carried.
[32:07] Um, continuing on then with new business
[32:10] um would be we 6.3 the tree walk program
[32:15] um which we did last year. Um so I guess
[32:18] we're looking for some discussion. Is
[32:19] there interest?
[32:23] Joy looks like you have something to
[32:24] say. [laughter]
[32:25] » Mr. Chair, Commissioner. Well, um I
[32:28] haven't heard recently from the League
[32:30] of Women Voters on this. Um I know they
[32:33] uh they really spearheaded getting this
[32:35] program started. Um at our last meeting
[32:39] in November, there was some interest in
[32:41] potentially doing that again. Uh but
[32:44] again, it's totally up to this
[32:45] commission on if
[32:48] if able um to to look at a program, but
[32:52] we don't need to make a decision today.
[32:54] Uh uh as of now we do have a meeting
[32:57] scheduled in May again which could be a
[33:00] nice timeline to implement something if
[33:02] there was interest. So really looking
[33:04] for that today.
[33:05] » I think maybe we should see if the
[33:07] League of Women Voters are interested in
[33:09] doing it again.
[33:10] » You know somebody can get in contact
[33:12] with them and uh see if they want to do
[33:14] it and we can talk about that in May if
[33:16] we have a meeting.
[33:18] » Yep.
[33:22] » I think that's a good idea.
[33:23] » Okay. Yeah.
[33:25] » Yep.
[33:26] » No motion or nothing for that. I'll get
[33:29] on that one.
[33:30] » All right. Um item 6.4 then be
[33:34] commissioner reports. Anybody else have
[33:38] anything else to add?
[33:42] Nope. All right. Um then the date of our
[33:46] next meeting would be May again. Um I
[33:49] forgot to look at the date. I think
[33:51] Jill's going to look at that. um at 400
[33:53] p.m. I'll wait for him to grab the date.
[33:58] » That would be Thursday, May 7th.
[34:01] » May 7th. So, next day we're meeting th
[34:03] Thursday, May 7th at 4 p.m. here in the
[34:06] city council chambers. Um otherwise,
[34:09] that is everything for today. So, thank
[34:11] everybody for coming. Um and we are
[34:14] adjourned.