“MICHAEL KEMPS (incumbent)
”Increasing resources for parkland maintenance requires first eliminating general fund pressures caused by increasing pension, police, and fire costs. A dedicated revenue source that is specific to this area may make sense. One non-taxable fee revenue source that could assist is the tree bank. Increasing contributions to the tree bank as well as transparency around payments and expenses incurred with those funds would be helpful. The City desperately needs to improve and invest further in the completion and management of a tree inventory, reviewing and updating a city-wide tree management policy that includes its concessions, and maintaining its urban forest on a rotating schedule, similar to how landscaping is maintained, or streets are slurried.

I would consider delegating responsibility to the Parkland Committee for the initial review of Parkland Encroachments, depending on recommendations from staff.””

“VICTORIA LOZZI (incumbent)
”The Parklands Committee is an advisory body to the City Council. The Committee reviews and makes recommendations on resident applications for rights-of-way and parkland planting, tree removal, pruning and maintenance. Several years ago, in light of a growing list of alleged encroachments, the City Council asked staff and an ad hoc committee of Parklands to develop a strategy for addressing those encroachments. This resulted in the recommendation to move from a part-time to a full-time code enforcement officer to address the backlog of encroachment violations. Unfortunately, due to several factors (COVID, staff turnover), the full-time code enforcement officer was not hired until early 2022. She has been very effective at addressing encroachments as they arise while also working the backlog. The Parklands Committee has formed a new ad hoc to review the progress and to develop recommendations for potential policies that could help to deter people from encroachment violations in the first place.””

“DAVID MCGOWAN (incumbent)
”Deferred maintenance of Parkland trees is a serious risk issue that must be addressed.

A necessary task that has been budgeted is a tree inventory that will not only identify all the trees in the Parklands but also their condition and what action should be undertaken and when. The maintenance action determination is another element that needs to be incorporated into the Long-Range Plan. The city may need to budget significant funds for a couple of years to “catch up” on what has been deferred. A lower but continuing maintenance budget will be required going forward which will be more than has been historically spent.

Obscured ocean views due to Parklands tree growth will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. This is a complex issue because when proper trimming may not be possible without serious damage to the tree, then tree removal becomes the alternative. A balance between competing priorities will need to be reached. I do not believe there is an answer where “one size fits all”

My position regarding enforcement of Parklands encroachments is stated in answering the preceding question. I see no problem for the Parklands Committee to provide input to the Code Enforcement Officer, but the primary responsibility for enforcement should rest with the Officer.””

“DESIREE “DEZ” MYERS
”RE: Should the Committee also be responsible for reviewing alleged parkland encroachments and making recommendations to the City Council for enforcement?

This sounds like an excellent idea. I am curious why the Council has not given this responsibility to the Parkland Committee.

For instance, if the committee does not have the time, then alternatives can be considered such as an adhoc or resident support. The City does have a well-researched encroachment list from residents that should hasten efforts to identify and prioritize the encroachments.

Policy and execution needs to prioritize safety, be fair and not take extreme positions that provide little or no value to residents.

Residents provide funding into the tree bank based on Parkland Committee decisions. It would be helpful to understand the policy of how that is implemented and the status of that implementation. If there is no policy, then the Parkland Committee can recommend one. “”