Volunteers are needed. Please inquire at saveshadetree@gmail.com
Public Hearing: December 15, 2015 at 8 P.M. at 5 Retreat Road, Southampton, New Jersey, 08088. Residents, business owners, and any others with interests in Southampton are strongly encouraged to attend the hearing.
Public Hearing: December 15, 2015 at 8 P.M. at 5 Retreat Road, Southampton, New Jersey, 08088. Residents, business owners, and any others with interests in Southampton are strongly encouraged to attend the hearing.
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Please Read This Entire Note.
On Tuesday, November 10, 2015, the Southampton Township Committee unanimously introduced an ordinance change which would make the Shade Tree Commission a shade tree advisory board. The second reading and public hearing will be on December 15, 2015 at 5 Retreat Road in Southampton, New Jersey at 8:00 P.M. Please plan on attending. We must come together as a community to stop this action! A shade tree commission is made up of citizen volunteers from within the municipality, officially appointed by a mayor or chief executive officer of the municipality, who make community forestry decisions for the municipality. A township with a commission IS eligible to receive special liability protection/immunity under N.J. law, which protects residents from increased taxes and/or fees. A shade tree advisory board is made up of citizen volunteers from within the municipality, officially appointed by a mayor or chief executive officer of the municipality, who make community forestry recommendations to the municipality's governing body. A township committee or council would be responsible for making the community forestry decisions. A township WOULD NOT be eligible to receive special liability protection/immunity under N.J. law, leaving residents vulnerable to receiving substantial tax increases and/or fees. Running a community forestry program is a huge undertaking with 14 general areas of responsibility. A shade tree commission eliminates the burden on a township committee or council relative to community forestry. This allows a township committee or council to concentrate on other issues surrounding the municipal government, leading to increased chances of a sound decision being made with respect to the issues they undertake. In addition, with volunteers solely focused on making community forestry decisions, it leads to increased chances of sound decisions being made relative to community forestry. Maintaining optimum tree cover and coordinating tree maintenance or plantings requires undivided attention, extensive planning, and collaboration. In 1996, some towns attempted to dissolve their Shade Tree Commission. The N.J. legislature realized that if a Township Committee assumed decision making responsibility relative to community forestry, with all of their other responsibilities, the quality of a town's community forestry program would be greatly diminished. Therefore, in 1996, the N.J. legislature passed the New Jersey Shade Tree and Community Forestry Assistance Act. This act provides a unique incentive to municipalities who have a Shade Tree Commission (not a shade tree advisory board). A municipality who has a Shade Tree Commission and is actively following an approved Community Forestry Management Plan receives liability protection relative to community forestry. This is a truly special immunity. Southampton currently has a Shade Tree Commission along with an approved Community Forestry Management Plan that is being followed. Therefore, Southampton is currently covered under this special immunity. If this ordinance change is passed, this immunity will instantaneously dissolve. If a municipal tree dispute should arise in the courts, the township could face expensive litigation. The cost of the litigation would be passed onto the taxpayers. To summarize, dissolving the Shade Tree Commission will detrimentally effect the municipality’s ability to manage destructive insects, destructive diseases, hazardous trees, and tree line of sight issues leading to increased accidents, insurance claims, power outages, phone outages, and cable outages. The municipality will also lose the special immunity that it currently has relative to community forestry. Expensive litigation=higher taxes. It will also disrupt the Commission’s efforts to plant trees, increase wildfire protection, and provide continuing education to the community (grants). In closing, while every page on this website should be explored, if your time is limited, we would like to recommend two must reads. http://www.saveshadetree.com/lack-of-transparency-by-twp-committee.html AND http://www.saveshadetree.com/loss-of-volunteers.html On Tuesday, December 15, 2015, during the public hearing and second reading of the ordinance change at 5 Retreat Road, please tell the Township Committee to reconsider. |
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Their Work to Beautify Vincentown & Protect Existing TreesSouthampton's Shade Tree Commission has been working to beautify Vincentown. They are working to protect the existing trees from pests, restore trees that were lost, plant new trees, create civic engagement and continuing education opportunities. They also are working to expand existing sidewalk cutouts to allow for more planting spaces.
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