Higher landscape fee would pay for Menlo 'reforestation'

By JULIE RAWE

With 80 percent of Menlo Park's street trees currently designated as "mature," the City Council last week took steps to initiate a program that will stagger the removal of older, healthy-looking trees as the younger ones establish themselves. But this urban reforestation project cannot go forward until property owners approve an increase in landscape assessment fees in a mailed ballot election this spring.

The city is calling for a 43 percent increase in landscape assessments, increasing annual revenues from $484,000 to $693,000, to pay for a tree replacement and maintenance program that would cover some 10,000 trees edging the sidewalks, medians and other public right-of-ways.

Annual landscape assessments for single-family lot owners with city trees on their property would rise from $46 to $64. For property owners without city trees on their property, the annual assessment would rise from $23 to $32.

"We need to stagger the canopy so we don't run into this problem again," said Ruben Nino, director of engineering services. The city would inspect all street trees within the next two to three years, and then maintain a five-year pruning schedule, he said.

In addition to the funds generated by raising landscape assessments, the city plans to contribute $200,000 from general tax revenues to the tree-maintenance program.

Sidewalk assessments would remain the same, Mr. Nino said.

Businesses and multi-family developments would shift from a flat fee to paying by the acre or by the unit. A clause in Proposition 218, which voters approved in 1996, requires schools and other government agencies previously exempted from assessments to begin paying the fees.

Mailed ballot election