Plandome Heights trustees on Monday set a public hearing for the board’s October meeting to determine whether to end its annual practice of conducting a village-wide tree survey.
Village of Plandome Heights Mayor Ken Riscica said he’s consulted with the surrounding Manhasset villages as well as Port Washington’s Village of Baxter Estates and found that no village held its tree survey every year, opting instead for one every three to four years.
“I think the village would be so much better off if we stopped spending so much money on doing this every year and better serve our residents by using it elsewhere,” Riscica said.
Added Trustee Norman Taylor, who is a certified arborist, “To do it every year would be overkill.”
The village spends $3,000 on its annual tree survey, Riscica.
The board is also considering whether to hire an independent certified arborist to conduct the tree survey. In previous years, the tree survey has been conducted by village interns, administrative staff and board members.
“I don’t need a professional arborist to tell me there’s tree branches covering a sign,” Riscica said. “That kind of things is obvious. We can see that.”
