Public hearing on citizens’ petition for Tree Ordinance amendments

A public hearing will be held WEDNESDAY night at 7PM on a citizens’ petition requesting amendments to the City’s Tree Preservation Ordinance. The petition was filed per the City Charter (Art. 10, Sect. 10-2) to provide the City Council with public comment on the need to strengthen the existing Tree Preservation Ordinance (Ch. 21, Art. 3, Div. 3).

For over a year, the City Council has been reviewing and discussing two docket items:

• One filed by a group of City Councilors (Councilor version and supporting documents)
• Another filed by the Administration and the Tree Warden (Mayor’s proposal and supporting documents).

Both items have been discussed at several meetings of the Programs and Services Committee, and the Committee has attempted to merge the two proposals to come to a consensus. To date, there is no Committee vote scheduled and no public hearing or comment period.

Over 300 people signed this online petition submitted to the City Council, calling for a stronger tree preservation ordinance and in support of the City Councilors’ proposal. This new petition requests the City to mitigate the impacts of climate change by protecting and preserving the city’s healthy non-dangerous trees measuring at least 6 inches in Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) on all properties in the city of Newton not owned by the State or Federal Government. The petition requests the following:

• Mitigation through planting replacement trees and/or cash payment into the City’s tree fund for the environmental and health damages to abutters and the large community from tree removal;
• Payment or replacement trees to be waived only if the application process provides acceptable certification that the protected tree is dead, diseased, or dangerous or that removal of the protected tree will improve the overall health of the tree canopy;
• Protection of trees from damage on lots adjacent to construction sites;
• Notification to owners of abutting properties of each application for tree removal.

Unfortunately, the public hearing on the Tree Preservation Ordinance is scheduled at the same time as a recently scheduled community gathering with the Mayor, members of the Newton Police Department, and District Attorney Marian Ryan — WEDNESDAY, 7PM – 8:30PM, at the Horace Mann Elementary School auditorium (225 Nevada Street) — regarding the tragic and horrific murders of three elderly Nonantum residents this past weekend. For this reason, the petitioners have requested that the public hearing be continued to allow residents who would otherwise testify the opportunity to attend. The status of this request is unknown at this time.