Council To Ponder Street Tree Program

The Spokane City Council will vote on whether to accept a street tree management program during today’s meeting in City Hall at 6 p.m.

The program would outline what citizens could and couldn’t do with regard to planting and pruning trees and shrubs growing in public rights of way.

A public right of way typically refers to the strip of ground between a curb and a sidewalk.

Representatives of some neighborhood councils oppose the ordinance and are expected to speak.

Mickey Thompson, a Nevada-Lidgerwood neighborhood resident, said he feels competent to cut small limbs from trees without having to buy a license to do it.

“The ordinance doesn’t penalize anyone for ignoring the trees, it only penalizes them for taking care of them,” he said.

Park Board members have explained the ordinance at meetings with several neighborhood councils.

But some opponents say none of their comments was added to the final ordinance.

“They aren’t listening to our input or making relative changes based on our feedback,” said Thompson.

The council also will hold a public hearing on the city’s six-year capital improvement plan for streets and roads.