HomeMy WebLinkAbout1983 Ordinance No. 010I
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CRDiw!cE NO. 10
SERIES OF 198-3 --
J3Y AU'l'HORI 'rY
COUNCIL BILL NO . 7
IN TRODUCED BY COUNCIL
MEMBER BRADS HAW
AN ORD INANCE REPE:ALil>l, AN D REENACT I!>l; PO R'l'I(),1 5 OF TITLE X,
CHAPTER 3 , SECT I(),I 4 , OF THE 1969 ENG LE)(,Q()D MUNIC IPAL CODE , AS
AMENDED , RELATil>l, TO AUTHOR ITY OF CITY FORESTER.
l'AfERE:AS , the City Fo r ester currently has certa in powe r s
regarding trees , plants , a nd g rasses in publ i c places , as well as
the a uthority to order necessary acti ons in rega r d t o trees on
private pro p,,r ty; a nd
v.H EREAS , it is in the interest of the publ i c health , s afety
and we lfa r e of the c iti zens of the City o f Englewo od to furthe r
def ine and clar ify t he City For est e r's respons ibili ties and powe rs .
NO,I , THERE FORE , BE I T ORDAIN ED BY THE CITY COUNC IL OF THE CITY
OF E!>l;LE)(,Q()D, COLORADO :
Section 1. That Sect ions 3, 4 , 6 , 7 , and 9 o f Title X, Chapte r 7 ,
a r e here by r epealed and r eenact ed as follows:
10-3-3 : CITY FORESTER
There i s he r eby esta bl ished within t he Depa r tment of Parks
and Recre at i on in the adminis tra ti ve service of t he ci ty the o f f ice
of t he Ci ty Forester . The City Fo r ester shall be unde r the gene ral
s upervision of tne Di rector of the Department of Pa rks and
Recreation . The City Foreste r off i ce shall be filled e ithe r by (a)
appointment by the City Ma nage r under the provisions of Sect ion 52 ,
Art i cle VI I, of the City Cha rter and Chapte r l , Title V, 'c3 E.M.C .,
o r (b ) as an appointee of the City Co unci 1 pu r suant t o a n ag r eeme nt
fo r se rvices with other loca l governmenta l uni t s . Should sa id
office be fill ed by appointment by the City Co unci l , pu r s uant to an
ag r eement for se rvi ces , said City Forester shall have in like manner
th e exclus ive jurisdic tiori and supe rvis i on of al l trees and other
plant s and g rasses growing in public pl.:ces as hereinafter set
forth .
10 -3-4 Alfl'HORITY OF CITY FORESTER
The Ci ty Fo r ester shall have the following respons ibi lities ,
au tho ri ties an d powe r:
1. Publi c Proper ty
The Ci ty Forester sra ll hd ve j uri s d i c tion and
supervision ove r all t rees , other plants and g rasses g rowinq in
publi c places . The City r'o res t er shall have the powe r to promulgate
rul es , regula t ions and specificati ons for trirrming , sprayi:,g ,
remov ing , planting , p runi ng a nd protection of plants u po n publ i c
prope r ty . He or sh l ma y plant , trim , spr ay , prese rve and r errove
trees , other plant s rl nd g r asses , o r o rde r tha t the sa me be do ne , in
public places to ins ure sa fety, p r eser ve the synrnetry and beauty of
s uc h places , prevent the spread of di seases , in sect s , etc .
2. Private Property
(a) Th e City Fo rester, or des i gnee , ~hall have the
authority a nd it s~.all be hi s o r her duty t o orde r the s prayi ng,
t r imn ing , preservat ion or re,roval of t r ees o r plants upon private
property when he o r she s hall fi nd s uch acti on necessa ry to public
safety , health, o r we lfare , o r t o prevent the spr ead of disease o r
1nsects t o other trees and places .
(b) The Ci ty Forester may ente r upon any premises
wi thout war rant to inspec t a ll wood piles o r trees , logs, shrubs
and othe r plants wi th in the limits of the c ity , whether s uch trees ,
logs , shrub s or plants a r e for sale o r not . Upon discovering any
infectious insec t s o r diseases harbo red wi th i n s uc h woodo i le , trees ,
logs , s h r ubs or plants , or the ex i stence o f elm wood , the City
Forester shall at once notify the own e r o r an agent of the premises
wher e upon the same is located of t he co nd i t ion fou nd and shall
d irect such owner or agent by notice to remedy s uch cond itions
irrmediate l y o r a t a time as dete rmin ed by the Ci t y fo r ester.
(c) Pr ocedu r e hr issuance of s uc h no tice , appeal r ights
and remedies upon noncompliance a re as set out in Section 10 -3-6.
3. Issua nce of Pe rmi ts and Li censes .
(a ) The City Fo r ester shall hav e t he authority t o
promul gate rules and r eg ula ti ons regard ing standa r ds of workmanship
and t he iss uan ce of perm its fo r acti v i t ies requested und e r this
~ct ion . A permit may be required by the City Fo rester for the
plant ing , re,rov al o r maintenanc e upon pub l i c areas . Deta iled
inform,;t i on may be required by the Ci t y fo ceste r upon r ece i pt of an
application fo r a pe rmi t .
(b) The Ci ty Fo r ester shall develo p and provide to all
persons licensed un de r 10 -3-9 cop ies of s tanda rds of wo r kma nsh ip
required by t he city fo r tree tri rrmi ng , t r ee re,roval, spr ay
app lications , safety requ ireme nts , and othe r s uch rul es and
regul ati ons go ve rning t he business of planting , c ut ting , trirrrning,
pruning, re,roval or sprayi ng plants with in t he c ity . Violation of
any provis i ons o f these s tanda rds of wo r kman sh i p provided by the
City Foreste r shall provide s ufficien t cause for a s uspens ion or
r evocation of t he license by the City Forester.
4 . Designati o;, of Unlawf ul Trees , Shrubs , Plants .
The City Forester s hall ha ve t.h e au tho r! ty to desi gnate
unlawful trees or pl ants and to order the remova l of existing unlaw-
ful trees o r plants , where the ir existence is in jurious to the
healch and sa f ety of ci tizens or othe r plants or trees. ~·ema le
Cottonwood trees (~ us delto ides ) or Box Elder (Acer n;9undo) a r e
hereby declared t o be unlawful to be set out or planted w1 thin the
City.
10-3-6: PROC EDURE UPON ORDER 'l'O PRES ERVE
REMOVE OR SPRAY
When the City Fo r es t e r s ha ll f i nd it necessa ry to o rder the
trinming, spr ay i ng , p r ese r vation o r r emova l of t rees or plants upcn
public o r priva te prope rty , as authori zed in this o rdinance , he shall
serve a written o rde r to co rr ect th e condit i on upo n the owne r,
ope rato r, occupant, o the r person r espcnsibl e , o r upn the property
where the condition exists .
(a ) Method of se r vice . The o rde r required he r e i n s hall be
se rved in one (1) of the following wa ys in orde r of pr efe r ence :
(1 ) By making per sona l delivery o f the o rder t o t he per son
responsibl e ;
(2) By l eaving the o r der with some person of s ui ta ble age
and disc r et h .. n u1xm the premise s ;
(3 ) By af f i xing a c.:,py o f the o r der to the doo r at the
ent rance to t he pre mi ses in v i olat ion;
(4) lly ma iling a copy of the o r der t o the last known
add ress of the own e r of the pr emises by reg i ster ed o r
ce rtified mai l, retu rn recei pt req uested ;
(5) lly publi s hing a copy of the o r de r in a l ocal pape r once
a week fo r th r ee (3) success ive weeks.
(b) Time for compliance . The o rder r equired herei n shall set
fo rth a t ime limit for compliance of not less than t wenty -fo ur (24 )
ho ur s and not mo r e than forty-f ive (45 ) days , as the City Fo rester
deems app ro pr iat e .
(c) Appeal f rom o rder . Any pe r son to whom an o rder he r eund e r is
di r ected may appea l , in writing , t o t he Directo r of Pa rks an~
Recreati on within seventy-two {72) hou rs o f the service of s uch an
o rde r . Eme rgency noti c es , as set out in Se c . 10-3-6(f), are excluded
from t his procedu re . The a ppeal sha ll co nt a in the appe llant 's n3me
and address , t he decision being appea led , and a bri ef explanati on of
why the appellant should not be r eq uired to comp l y with the o rder
appea led . '!'he Di r ecto r o f Parks a nd Recreation o r hi s des ignee
promptly s hall meet informally with the appellant to e xchange
necess ry infon,ation and s hall issue a deci s i on in writ ing to the
appellant at his addre ss stated in the a ppeal. Unl ess the order is
revoked or modified , it shall r emai n in full fo rce a nd be o beyed by
the pe r son to whom d irected .
(d) Failu re to comply . \men the pe rson to whom the o rder i s
directed shall fa i l t o comply withi n the specified time, the City
Fo r ester shall r emedy the condi tion or contract with others for such
purpose and c harge the cost , plus fifteen pe r cent (15%) fo r
administrativt fees , t o the pe rson t o whom the o rde r is directe d .
The person remed ying a c ondit i on under a contract made her e under
sha ll be authorized to ente r premises fo r that purpose . Fa i lu r e to
comp ly a lso constitutes a mu nicipal o rdinance vi olation, for whi c h
the v i olato r may be c ited a nd SU!IIOOned into M ni cipal Cou r t and , if
convi c t ed , puni s hed a ccording to Title II, '69 E.M .C.
(e ) Speci al assessment. If the co s t of eon.1,,,.ying with a City
Fo rest e r order to trim, spray , preserve , reroo ve t ;:ees o r take other
a ppropriat e action i s not paid within thirty (30) days afte r receipt
of a s t a tement the r efor from the Ci ty Fo r e s ter, such c ost, plus
t wenl y-five perc ent (25%) o f s uch cos t, shall be l e vied aga inst the
respons i bl e property own e r o r property upon whi c h sa id condition
e xi s t s , as a special assessment. The l evyi ng o f s uch ussessment
shall no t affect the liability of t he per son t o whom the o r de r is
di r ec ted t o f i ne a nd imprisonment a s here i n ~-Jv ided . Suc h s pec ial
a ssessment shal l be c e r t i f ied by the Di recto r of 1-'inance , ex of f i cio
Ci ty Cl erk t o t he Tr easur e r of the County of Ar apahoe , State of
Colo rado , a nd shall the r e upon become a nd be a lien upon such
prop,,rty , s hall be includ ed in t he ne xt tax bill r e nd e red t o the
owr:e r or own e rs the r eo f unless pa i d be fo r e , and shall be collected in
the same manne r as ot her ad val or em taxes aga inst such pr ope rty are
colltcted .
(f) l::me r gency no t i ce . In the event t he City fo r es t e r f inds a
cond i t i on invo lving a tree , sh ru b o r o t he r plant whi c h constitutes
immed i a te th r eat t o li fe , limb o r pr o perty , the City fo r ester s hall
hav e autho rity t o irrrned i a t e ly have c au s e d co rr e ction o r re medy to
s uch cond i t ion at t he own e rs ' or age1 1ts I expe nse wi ttlout adminis-
t r at i ve fee . If the costs a r e not pa i d by owre r within t h irt y (30)
days o f no tice o f costs , the Ci t y Fo r e s t e r shall i nitiate procedure
fo r a s pec ial assessment as au thori zed under 10-3-6 (e ).
10 -3-7: AB USI:: OR Mllr!u\TION OF TRl::E S
(a) Unl ess a utho r ized by t he Ci t y Fo r este r o r p r o pe r t y own e r , no
person s ha ll perfo rm a ny o f t he fo llowing on any µub lic p r o perty
withi n Le City o r on any o t he r priva t e p rope r ty not belonging to
t hat pe r son :
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(1) Damage , cut , c arve , trans plant, or rerrov e any tree or
s hru b or i n jure the bark thereof .
(2) Pick the flower s or seeds of a ny tree o r plant .
(3) Attach a ny rope , wire o r othe r c ontrivance to a ny tree
o r plant .
(4) Di g in or otherwi se di s turb grass a reas , o r in any
othe r wa y injure o r impair the natu r al beauty or usefulness of any
public a r ea .
10-3-9: LICEN SE REQU IRED FOR BUSI NESS
It shall be unlaw ful fo r any person , firm o r corpo r ation to
e ngag e in the busi ness ot planting , cutting, tri11111 i ng , pruning ,
remov ing or spraying trees , shrubs , vines o r hedges with the City
without fir s t procuring a licens e the r efo r from the Di r ector of
Finance. No s uch license sha ll be iss ued without the written
approval o f the City Fo r ester who shall fi r s t be satisfied of the
compe tency of the applicant t o e ngage in such bus iness as indicated
by an exam ination conduc ted by the City Fores ter , both o ral and
writte n . At his o r her d i sc r e tion , the Ci ty Fo r e ster may accept
s prayi ng and t ril1'1ll ing licenses from other jurisdictions a s prima
facie e vidence that the applicant ha s sa tisfacto rily completed
Eng lewo od licens ing requirements . Prio r t o i s suanc e of such license ,
the appli cant s hal l have a ce rti f icate of in:;;urance with , minimum of
ten -twenty -t wenty-five -fifty t housand dolld r s , copy of said
ce rtificate to be placed on fil e with Direc t o r ot Fi nanc e . Said
insurance shall be fo r the pu rpose of indemnifying the City of
Englewood o r o ther pe rson from loss or damage r esulting to any pe r son
or prope r ty by the neg ligence of such Li censee. Suell license shall
be issued for a period not t o exceed one (1) yea r and expire on
Decembe r 31 follow ing its issuance . Th e license f ee s ha ll be fifty
dollars ($50) per yea r , o r fraction the r eof , payable in a dvance . Any
s uch 1 i cense may be s uspended o r r e voked by the c ity Fo r e ste r upon
writte n not i ce from the City Fores t e r s tat i ng in what ma nner such
licensee has v i o l a t ed the rules a n~ r eg ulations of the City Foreste r
o r any p rovi sions of any Ci ty o r di nance . An appeal from such
s uspens i on or revocation may be made t o the Di r ecto r of the
Depa rtme nt of Parks and Recreation in acco rda nce with Sect i on
10 -3-6 (c) 'Jy r equesting such hea ring within seve nty-two (72 ) ho urs of
i s suance o f no ti ce of suspens ion o r re 1mcation . Un less stayed by the
Depa rtme nt Di r ecto r, upon a showii1g of irrepa r able in j ury , the
revocation o r s uspension orde r of the City Fo rest e r s ha ll rema in in
full fo r ce a nd effect . Li censes are not t r ansferabl e . Licensee
shall s upervi se a nd be responsible for a ll work done under h is
1 icense .
Section 2 . Penalty fo r Vi olation . Viola t i on of this ordinance is
unlawful and puni s habl e by a fine not exceeding 'l'h r ee Hundred Dollars
($300) o r by imprisonmen no t exceed ing ninety (90 ) days or by both
such fine and imprisonment. Eac h day during any portion of whi c h any
violat ion of this ordinance is corrmitted, pe rm itted or co ntinued
shall constitute a sepa rate offense.
Section 3 . Severability. If any provisions or clause of thi s
ordinance or the application thereof to any pe r son or circum.stances
held to be unconstitutional o r otherwi se invalid by any court of
competent jurisdicti on , s uch invalidity sha ll no t affect other
ordi nance provisions o r c lau~-,s or applications thereof which can be
impleme nted without the invalid provision , clause o r application, and
to this encl the provis i ons and clauses of thi s o r dina nce are dec lar ed
to be sever 1>h1 r .
Introduced , r ead in full , and pas sed on first reading on the
7th da y of Fe bruary, 1983.
Publi sn ·J ~G a ti i 11 f, -.,. vrdinance 0:1 the 9th day of
Februa r y , 1983
Read by title and passed or. fl.ial reading on the 22nd day of
Fee,, ,a ry , 1983 .
Published by title as Ordinance No . _!!!.!_Series o f 1983 , on the
•3re day of Fee~~Bry , 1983 .
2nd March
/s / Eu gen e L. Oti s
Eugen e L. o t,s , Mayo r
Attest :
;s/ Gary R Hi gbee
ex offlcio Ci ty Clerk-Treas ure r
I , Ga ry R. Hi gbee , ex off icio City Cl~r k-Tr easurer of t he City
of Englewood , Colo r ado , here by certify that Lhe above and fo regoi ng
is a true , accurat e and compl ete copy of the Ordinance passed on
f inal readi ng and pu blished by title as Or dinance No . 10 , Se ri es of
1983 . --
I s / Gary R. Higbee
Ga ry H. Higbee
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