27.09

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27.09 City forester, duties; tree planting.

27.09(1)

(1) The board of park commissioners of every city may employ a city forester to take charge of and direct, subject to its supervision and control, all of the work authorized to be done under this section. It may also designate a municipal employee to perform the duties of city forester.

27.09(2)

(2) The common council shall include in its annual budget such sum as it deems necessary, if any, to meet all expenses of doing said work during the following fiscal year, including the salary of the city forester and the compensation of employees assisting the city forester, but not including amounts assessable to abutting property; and the taxes levied to provide for such expense shall be in addition to all other taxes for park and boulevard purposes.

27.09(3)

(3) The board may plant, transplant, remove, trim, spray and otherwise care for and protect all trees and shrubs on or in that part of every street, the grade of which has been established, lying between the lot line and the curb, or in the center or side plots in all boulevards and parkways, and in all public parks or grounds belonging to the city and control all such planting and transplanting by others. The board may guard all trees within the city so as to prevent the spread of disease or pests and to eliminate dangerous conditions, and may proceed pursuant to subs. (4) to (7).

27.09(4)

(4) Whenever the board proposes the setting out, planting or removing of any such living shade tree, it shall give 2 weeks’ written notice to the owner of the lot or parcel of land on which such tree stands or will stand, or the owner’s agent, or, if neither is known and there be a tenant occupying said property, then to such tenant, of a time and place at which said contemplated work will be considered by the city forester, specifying in detail the street, avenue or boulevard and portion thereof, upon or from which trees are proposed to be planted or removed, and the general nature and character of the changes and improvements contemplated. After such hearing, the city forester, subject to the direction of the board shall abandon said work or proceed with it as the city forester believes the best interest of the public requires.

27.09(5)

(5) The entire or any part of the cost of protecting, trimming, spraying, planting, renewing and removal of trees and shrubs between the lot line and the curb in front of any lot or parcel of land abutting on a street, avenue or boulevard may be chargeable to and assessed upon such lot or parcels of land. The governing body shall hold a public hearing on the proposed assessment, and shall give notice thereof in such city or village, by publishing a class 2 notice, under ch. 985.

27.09(6)

(6) The board shall keep a strict account of the cost of planting, protecting, renewing, removing, trimming, spraying and caring for trees and shrubs in front of each lot or parcel of land abutting on any street, avenue, or boulevard, and prior to November 10 in each year, shall make a report to the comptroller in cities having such an officer, and in other cities to the common council, of all work done for which assessments have been made as hereinbefore provided stating and certifying the description of land, lots, parts of lots or parcels of land abutting on a street, avenue or boulevard in which any such work shall have been done, and the amount chargeable to each such piece of property; and the comptroller at the time of making the comptroller’s annual report to the common council of the lots or parcels of land subject to special assessments shall include therein the lots or parcels of land so reported to the comptroller by the board of park commissioners with the amount chargeable thereto for work done during the preceding year.

27.09(7)

(7) The amounts so reported directly or through a comptroller to the council shall be levied on said lots or parcels of land, respectively, to which they are chargeable and shall constitute a lien thereon and shall be collected as other special taxes are levied and collected in the city. The board shall advance out of the park or other proper fund sufficient money for doing said work and said special assessments shall be credited to said fund of said city and shall not be diverted or used for any other purpose.