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Discussion of proposed bill to codify tree maintenance standards and frustration with complaint responses
1:23:33
ยท
163 sec
Council Member Holden advocates for the proposed bill to codify tree maintenance standards and expresses frustration with the lack of satisfactory responses to constituent complaints about trees.
- Holden mentions the bill has 36 cosponsors and aims to establish clear standards for tree maintenance
- He criticizes the Parks Department's opposition to codifying current practices
- The council member highlights the ongoing issues with unanswered complaints and lack of transparency in tree assessment processes
Robert F. Holden
1:23:33
I asked why.
1:23:35
You know what they said?
1:23:36
Well, it it had a disease.
1:23:39
Can you tell me what the disease was or is or no.
1:23:44
The person that called me from Central couldn't tell me.
1:23:47
And I so I knew that the owner of the home wanted the tree gone.
1:23:53
I knew it because I had I I live in that area.
1:23:56
I know they were they were doing renovations, and he wanted that tree gone, and they got their way.
1:24:01
So I suspected something.
1:24:03
I suspected foul play here.
1:24:04
I put a complaint in because I don't get when you don't get satisfactory answers and you get like, oh, the tree was diseased, but no specifics.
1:24:12
So I still I'm still waiting, and that's about 10 months ago.
1:24:19
It's a problem.
1:24:20
I got I got, tree limbs hanging.
1:24:25
I there's no there's no standard here.
1:24:27
And if you're gonna come up with a standard, that's what the bill's doing.
1:24:30
The bill has 36 sponsors, cosponsors.
1:24:35
And yet you're saying we were opposed to this because we don't wanna codify it.
1:24:38
Well, that's what we want, by the way.
1:24:40
The the council wants it because it seems to go nowhere, these these complaints.
1:24:45
I understand you have the budget, and we're fighting for the 1% budget.
1:24:49
And we need that, and we need certainly our trees maintained because trees that are not maintained can kill people and cause a lot of property damage, and they do.
1:24:59
So that's why I'm I'm suspect when you say you don't want you don't want it codify.
1:25:05
Then I right away, I say, oh, I know why.
1:25:07
Because then it it can actually delay response, and it does.
1:25:11
This it's the most frustrating thing that we deal with complaints from constituents, and they don't get answered.
1:25:17
And then we we look bad.
1:25:19
Councilman, I complained 5 years ago about this tree, and nothing's being done.
1:25:23
You've been a council member, and you can't get it done.
1:25:25
Well, I can't cut down trees, but I need satisfactory answers, which we're not getting.
1:25:31
And I need it when it's centralized, it it got even worse.
1:25:35
So I don't get I I just like some response to what you're saying.
1:25:40
How do we know what the the classification of the tree, which this bill is trying to do?
1:25:45
Like, is this you know, on a scale of 1 to 10, is this 10?
1:25:47
Is this a a 2?
1:25:50
I have these little nails that are put in trees that they're gonna come down.
1:25:54
It's going on years years years.
1:25:57
And I get older and older and older, and now my shelf life in this council is this year, and this is it.
1:26:04
And I wanna solve problems because people are gonna bring it up like, you know, you didn't you you didn't handle my tree.
1:26:09
It's 8 years you didn't get my tree pruned or maintained or fixed or at least looked at.