Divisive Clayton Tree-Cover Bill Set To Be Withdrawn

Clayton aldermen will decide Tuesday night whether to withdraw a controversial tree-cover ordinance from further consideration, an agenda for the meeting states.

While members of the Clayton Plan Commission spent years researching and drafting the measure in conjunction with city staff, aldermen have indicated the details of the legislation largely took them by surprise.

(How can Clayton protect tree cover while also protecting the rights of homeowners? Please add your comments below.)

The recommendation from City Manager Craig Owens and planning director Susan Istenes comes after a discussion session held Thursday, the agenda states. Owens could not immediately be reached for comment about what will happen to the legislation if it is withdrawn from consideration by aldermen.

Some residents have argued the measure would represent an overreach of government into the lives of homeowners. The law would have increased the amount of money that residents must pay into the city's forestry fund in the event of tree removal and listed acceptable replacement foliage, among other things.

Mayor Linda Goldstein initially told aldermen and Plan Commission members that a "toned down" version of the commission's tree-cover bill would get a second reading.

"If it passes in the second reading, it puts into place a lot of the protections but not all that the Plan Commission wanted," she said at a July 10 meeting between members of the two boards.

Aldermen and Plan Commission members also discussed ways the two boards can communicate more effectively. The tree-cover measure received multiple mentions as an example of a communication breakdown.

Ward 1 Alderman Andrea Maddox-Dallas, who has been a vocal opponent of the measure, said that several people view the ordinance as a cost burden, and that the implications of such measures need to be explored before they are enacted.

"If we do this, what are all the spokes around this little hub?" Maddox-Dallas said. "What's it going to affect?"

Owens said that while officials process public input regularly, people often choose to tune in at a certain point, often when the issue in question affects their own backyard or that of their neighbor.

Maddox-Dallas responded that aldermanic meetings are the engagement point for many residents.

Attendees of the July 10 meeting made several suggestions to improve communication between aldermen and the Plan Commission, including:

• Get other citizen advisory groups involved
• Increase involvement of the aldermanic liaison to the commission
• Flag important Plan Commission public hearings that aldermen should attend

More about the Clayton tree-cover ordinance on Patch: