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Highlight reel (7 mentions)

3, okay. Obviously we have a hard enough time getting trees down that need to come down. So they would not be able to do this. This would be something where, um, a tree would be deemed dangerous and the person's house, the person who owns the tree, um, would respon— be responsible to take it down. If they did not take it down, we would hire an outside person and they would be billed for it. The problem right off the bat is in Rome, I think they have 120,000 put into their budget for this type thing. Am I correct, Marcus?

9:19

3, okay. Obviously we have a hard enough time getting trees down that need to come down. So they would not be able to do this. This would be something where, um, a tree would be deemed dangerous and the person's house, the person who owns the tree, um, would respon— be responsible to take it down. If they did not take it down, we would hire an outside person and they would be billed for it. The problem right off the bat is in Rome, I think they have 120,000 put into their budget for this type thing. Am I correct, Marcus?

7:55

Thank you. Um, so I don't know about all you guys. Well, I do know that some of you's got a lot of calls about dangerous trees that aren't on city property. They keep telling me over and over that Rome has an ordinance, why can't we do it? So I had Marcus print me Rome's ordinance. He talked to the Codes Department out in Rome. I talked to Councilperson, Commissioner Sokolowski about it. And what I want to do in this discussion is to touch on aspects why we can do this, if why we can't do it. Um, I, I also invited Parks Commissioner Short because he is our arborist, but it doesn't look like he's coming. I didn't hear back from him. So, um, I'll just open it up to, um, Marques, if you want to start. We worked on this, so you know more Sure. The positives, and then I'll let legal go in and discuss it and what Mark's done. What I could just tell you about this right off the bat, there's a couple good things that they do right off the bat. Obviously our tree department, I think, what do we have, 2 or 4 guys?

14:33

But what I'm saying here, I need certain parcels, okay? If there is a huge tree that's hanging over somebody's house, and it could fall and go through their home, it's a— you know, if the arborist viewed it as danger, okay? Isn't there even something that we could even put in there where codes came in, and they looked at it and said, you need to do this in 30 days? And then even if they didn't do it, they would start getting fined to force them to do it? Is there something we can do? We—

15:19

But my other question to that is, a lot of these trees are big. When we go and abate or, you know, go for somebody's property that the grass is high, We're not going in their backyard. You could see in most of these cases, you could see the tree is dangerous right from the road.

16:58

Well, you're not— you not— don't necessarily have to cut the whole tree down.

17:54

My only thing, what I'm saying about it, I agree with all of it. I'm saying if we had some teeth in there to say your tree is dangerous, If you don't take it down, you're going to start getting fined every month until you cut the branch off or did something. So even if you didn't, a lot of times these people are going to see that and know they're going to get fined and take care of the problem. That's all I'm trying to say.

33:54

Right. Once it's out over, if it's a neighbor's tree over your property, you could pay to have it cut too, once it's hanging on your property.

But what I'm saying here, I need certain parcels, okay? If there is a huge tree that's hanging over somebody's house, and it could fall and go through their home, it's a— you know, if the arborist viewed it as danger, okay? Isn't there even something that we could even put in there where codes came in, and they looked at it and said, you need to do this in 30 days? And then even if they didn't do it, they would start getting fined to force them to do it? Is there something we can do? We—

But my other question to that is, a lot of these trees are big. When we go and abate or, you know, go for somebody's property that the grass is high, We're not going in their backyard. You could see in most of these cases, you could see the tree is dangerous right from the road.

Well, you're not— you not— don't necessarily have to cut the whole tree down.

My only thing, what I'm saying about it, I agree with all of it. I'm saying if we had some teeth in there to say your tree is dangerous, If you don't take it down, you're going to start getting fined every month until you cut the branch off or did something. So even if you didn't, a lot of times these people are going to see that and know they're going to get fined and take care of the problem. That's all I'm trying to say.

Right. Once it's out over, if it's a neighbor's tree over your property, you could pay to have it cut too, once it's hanging on your property.