(A) (1) There is hereby created and established a Town Tree Committee for the town, which shall consist of seven members, citizens and residents of the town who shall be recommended by the Mayor and approved by the Town Council.
(2) Residents of the town’s extra territorial jurisdiction (ETJ), who are not residents of the town, but who can contribute relevant knowledge and expertise to the Tree Committee may serve in a non-voting, advisory capacity to the Committee subject to their approval by the Town Council.
(3) The Mayor shall designate a member of the Town Council to serve as liaison to the Tree Committee. The Town Manager and the Landscape Supervisor shall serve as ex-officio members of the committee. Other ex-officio members may be designated as necessary.
(B) The term of the five persons to be appointed shall be three years, except that the term of two of the members appointed to the first Committee shall be for only one year and the term of two members of the first Committee shall be for two years. At the expiration of a member’s term of office, a successor shall be recommended to the Mayor by the committee for approval by the Town Council. A member may succeed himself or herself. In the event that a vacancy shall occur during the term of any member, the successor shall be appointed (as specified above) for the unexpired portion of the term.
(C) (1) It shall be the responsibility of the Tree Committee to study, investigate, counsel, develop and/or update annually, and administer a written plan for the care, preservation, pruning, planting, replanting, removal or disposition of trees and shrubs in parks, along streets and in other public areas. The plan will be presented annually to the Town Council and, upon its acceptance and approval, shall constitute the official comprehensive tree plan for the town.
(2) The Landscape Supervisor shall present to the Tree Committee by their March meeting itemized budget requests for plant replacement, maintenance and repair items and capital expenditures. The Tree Committee shall review these requests in developing the annual plan according to division (C)(1) above and forward them to the Town Manager for his or her budget processing.
(3) The Tree Committee shall serve in an advisory capacity on all town-initiated construction projects in an effort to plan for and manage the town’s vegetative resources.
(4) The Tree Committee when requested by the Town Council, snail consider, investigate, make findings, report and recommend upon any special matter of question coming within the scope of its work.
(D) It shall be unlawful for any person to prevent, delay or interfere with the Town Tree Committee or any of its agents, while engaging in and about the planting, cultivation, mulching, pruning, spraying or removing of any street trees, park trees or trees on public grounds, as authorized in this chapter.
(Ord. passed 8-9-1988) Penalty, see § 97.99