Atlantic Beach officials could engage a professional arborist to help maintain the city’s tree canopy and communicate with residents seeking direction about mitigation.
Commissioner Bruce Bole proposed the plan during the board’s July 28 meeting. He initially suggested the idea of hiring a third party with practical knowledge of the laws regulating tree removal during a recent town hall meeting to help strike a fair balance between homeowners’ rights and city regulations.
“We’re amateur arborists even if we don’t know it. We vote on statutes, we make code, we spend money, so I took a look at what an arborist could do on the staff,” he said. “I also figured out that we spend about 35 percent of our time some way dealing with the subject, and I think it would be great if we had one on the staff.”
Bole said he plans to submit a draft of the proposal to the City Manager. He hopes to bring the request to the City Commission for consideration during the upcoming budget meetings.
According to Bole’s proposed plan, a professional arborist could define the city’s Tree City designation through the removal of invasive plant species, especially as it relates to the health of the city’s stormwater system. They could also help develop environmental policies, consulting with the Environmental Stewardship Committee to strategize future efforts.
“Advise and consent, in other words, if you wanted some direction or advice. We have some that we could go to, but they’re not on the staff, and I think that makes a difference,” said Bole, citing the benefit of having a full-time city attorney on staff versus an on-call position. “We probably could have saved a lot of money, time, and effort. I think it would pay off.”
An arborist could also review the city’s regulations and policies and help establish the proper method of enforcement.
“You can also assign secondary and tertiary duties to that,” he said. “I know we are in budget time, and I would like to go to a professional with a background and a degree. It’s not as expensive as it looks.”
Bole suggested tapping into the fines collected for improper tree removal to help pay the salary for an arborist. Commissioner Candace Kelley said monies in the city’s tree budget could also be used to fund the position.
Mayor Curtis Ford said he would agree to a contract with a part-time arborist who could communicate with residents looking for direction on tree removal.
“I think the intent of having the arborist is not going to be to override another arborist because Florida Statute is going to override us on that deal. If somebody comes in with a letter from an arborist that says a tree has to be taken down, that’s Florida Statute, so we can’t put ourselves in a position to violate that,” he said.
“But having an arborist available would go into the equation. Many citizens would be perfectly happy to talk to the city’s arborist on what to do with a tree that they’re not sure of.”