Fiscal Note
This amendment provides an additional $60,000 in General Obligation borrowing to the existing authority of $220,000 in the Parks Emerald Ash Borer Mitigation capital budget project (810766). The funding will purchase a truck and trailer to be used in the replacement of ash trees within City parks that have been removed as a result of the Emerald Ash Borer.
Title
SUBSTITUTE - BY TITLE ONLY - Amending the Parks Division capital and operating budgets to provide additional resources for replacement of ash trees in City parks. Amending the 2014 Parks Division Capital Budget to provide additional resources for replacement of ash trees in City parks.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Madison has been working on mitigation methods to lessen the impact of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) on the more than 21,000 terrace ash trees, numerous ash trees in parks and other City owned land, and many thousands on private property; and
WHEREAS, the Emerald Ash Borer Taskforce have extensively studied this issue and have authored a Report that includes recommendations for managing EAB within the City of Madison; and
WHEREAS, the Common Council accepted the Emerald Ash Borer Taskforce report and adopted the recommendations included therein on September 18, 2012; and
WHEREAS, the Common Council accepted the Emerald Ash Borer Taskforce report and adopted the modified recommendations including a treatment standards (e.g. 10" minimum size) in September 2013; and
WHEREAS, the original plan for replanting trees removed within Parks was to utilize annual Capital landscaping funds to replant over a longer period than the removals would occur; and
WHEREAS, the Taskforce and Parks staff are recommending a more aggressive replanting program for trees in parks that will be completed using City staff; and
WHEREAS, the Parks Division will include additional funding requests for the full implementation of an approximately $240,000 parks tree replacement program as a part of the 2015 Capital and Operating Budget requests; and
WHEREAS, the 2015 request will include the creation of two new permanent positions focused on the planting of replacement trees within the parks system and funding for approximately 500 additional plantings in parks per year; and
WHEREAS, the park replanting program will allow for between 95-100% of ash trees removed in Parks to be replenished in the urban forest within 3 planting seasons, which is approximately 18 months; and
WHEREAS, the originally planned park replanting program would have allowed for approximately 30-40% of ash trees removed to be replanted in the subsequent year for the first few years of removal, with the replanting program extending 5-10 years beyond the active removal stage of the EAB response plan; and
WHEREAS, to enable the City planting crew to be prepared to begin planting in 2015 it is necessary to order equipment supplies in 2014.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the 2014 Parks Division Capital Budget Project #24, "Emerald Ash Borer Mitigation," be amended to include an additional $60,000 in expenditure authorization funded by G.O. Debt for the purpose of procuring necessary vehicles and equipment for an in-house Parks Tree Replacement program beginning in 2015.
$60,000 CE60-58610-810766
($60,000) CE60-79140-810766