HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 070 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-070
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council May 17, 2022
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SUBJECT: AMENDING THE TREE FUND POLICY TO SUPPORT AN URBAN
rrn FORESTRY MASTER PLAN
The May 24, 2022 City Council agenda contains an amendment to Resolution 5103-06-2019:
Establishing A Policy Regarding Expenditure of Tree Fund Collections to allow Tree Funds to
be used for professional studies and planning initiatives.
On June 18, 2019, Mayor and City Council adopted Resolution No. 5103-06-2019, adopting
the policy regarding the expenditure of Tree Fund collections. Currently the policy does not
allow for the use of Tree Funds to be spent on urban forest inventory or long-term planning
initiatives. Since the policy's adoption, advancements in technology and the emergence of
professional consulting organizations has yielded data and data-based modeling not readily
available to the City for urban forest composition, condition, analysis and planning.
In January of 2022, the Texas Tree Foundation (TTF) approached Development Services
Department (DSD) regarding the development of an Urban Forestry Master Plan (UFMP).
The proposal by TTF included a request for funding in the amount of $50,000. The
requested amount will be combined with sponsorships, donations and other funding secured
by TTF to complete the full scope of the project. The contribution of the TTF to the project
will be a minimum of $250,000.
DSD and Park and Recreation Department (PARD) both support the need for an UFMP. The
support by PARD is based in large on a separate proposal from Texas A&M Forest Service
to complete an Urban Forest Inventory & Analysis (UFIA) to be provided to Fort Worth in
perpetuity. An inventory is the first recommendation and a key component of the UFMP
which was acknowledged during discussions with TTF.
To utilize Tree Fund dollars for professional studies and planning initiatives such as the
UFMP and UFIA, an amendment to Resolution 5103-06-2019: Establishing A Policy
Regarding Expenditure of Tree Fund Collections is required. The proposed amended
resolution contains the following added provision: "Urban Forestry mitigation fees deposited
into the Tree Fund may be spent on tree survey tools, technical equipment, professional
studies and master plans including work by consulting partners, organizations and
corporations. This work serves to identify areas of importance in terms of preserving existing
urban forest and prioritizing planting spaces."
If you have any questions, please contact Daniel Leal, Assistant Director, Development
Services Department 817-392-6214, or Sevanne Steiner, Planning Manager, Development
Services Department, at 817-392-8012.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS