What: John P. Fresolo asked the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Cemetery for a report on hiring outside contractors to clear the backlog of city trees approved for removal. Tony Economou signed on.
Where it stands: adopted 2026-10-06.
Next: a free-cash allocation for tree removal is expected before the Council in about a month (per Batista).
The backlog
Fresolo said at least a dozen residents contacted him in recent months about dead city trees with waits of a year or more.
The parks commissioner (name garbled in the captions) told him over 200 trees need to come down.
Moira Dacey noted property damage to cars and homes in several neighborhoods and tied it to forestry underfunding.
Administration and legal comments
Eric D. Batista said the count fluctuates with 311 and Council requests, and the city usually funds removals by private contractors from free cash.
Asked by Morris A. Bergman, City Solicitor Alexandra H. Kalkounis said a tree being on a removal list does not automatically make the city liable the way notice does for potholes; she would need to review specific claims.
Log
2026-10-06 - City Council — Adopted as amended with Economou as a sponsor; Fresolo cited a limb falling on a car on a street he named (spelling uncertain) from a tree already on the removal list.