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04-26-10 CC WS AgPCITY OF SHOREWOOD CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2010 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD CITY HALL 6:15 P.M. 3. CITY SURVEY Mayor Liz6e Bailey, Turgeon Woodruff Zerby Planning Director's CAF Administrator's CAF V�f M, , COUNCIL ACTION FORM DepartmeriV Planning Council Meeting: From Brad Nielsen, Planning Director � 26 April 2O1O'VVS\ Item Number: =~ Item Description: Diseased Tree Program IJOT-Tro "I, Leave this item on the agenda and discuss, or remove from agenda. Staff Recommendation Staff is seeking direction, primarily with respect to how proactive the City Council wants to be relative to diseased trees, in particular EAB. Council will undoubtedly have questions and want additional information for future discussions on the topic. Council Action: Y S HOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD - SI=OREWOOD, MINNESOTA 55331-8927 - (952) 4743236 FAX (952) 474 -0128 - www.ci.shorewood.mmus - cizyhall @ci.shorcwood.mn.us MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM. Brad Nielsen ATE: 22 April 2010 RE: Diseased Tree Program FILE NO. 405(Natural Resources) BACKGROUND Back in the 1970's, in response to Dutch Elm Disease, the City adopted diseased tree regulations, had persomiel certified as tree inspectors, and maintained an active diseased tree enforcement program. Shorewood even went so far as to maintain a diseased elm burn site where Freeman Park is currently located. Once Dutch Elm had taken its toll, subsided (it's still out there), and State financial assistance dried up, the City closed the burn site, and reduced its inspectioi program, basically to where the City simply manages its own trees on public property. When the City codified its ordinances a number of years ago, the diseased tree regulations were dropped. Enter the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). As you are no doubt aware, EAB has made it to Minnesota. In fact suburbs on the east side of the Metropolitan Area have been documented as having the pest, and three counties in Minnesota (including Hennepin and Ramsey) have been quarantined. That is, fire wood, ash trees, and ash products cannot be moved in or out. Experts appear to agree that Minnesota's substantial ash population will be devastated in the next 10 years. They go on to say that stopping EAB is futile, and the best that can be done is to slow down its progress. Copious amounts of information have been published on the topic of EAB, including numerous websites, bulletins, and news articles. A rather timely article in today's r� � ®�� PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Me morandum Re: Diseased Tree Prograin 22 April 20 0 Star Tribune (Exhibit A, attached) frames the issue quite well from a public agency perspective. DISEASED TREE STRATEGY Given the value Shorewood places on its natural resources and the extent of tree cover in the community, it makes sense to develop a proactive strategy for addressing EAB and other tree maladies. The question is — how proactive? Staff has identified a number of steps, some of which are quite easy, others of which require various degrees of City commitment; I. Education and Awareness. Always a good start, we have already jumped on this bandwagon. Several newsletter and website articles have been published and EAB bulletins have been posted in City Hall. Recommendation: This effort should be increased. It is suggested that a regular spot on the website be created, setting forth the City's rules and policies relative to diseased trees, publishing current materials fi°om the departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and providing useful information to the public (e.g. links to more information, tips, etc.). II. Update City Regulations. Shorewood has a Tree Preservation and Reforestation Policy and ordinance that includes ash trees as acceptable tree replacements. The City currently has no regulations pertaining to diseased trees, except for a nuisance provision that requires the removal of hazardous trees. Recommendation: Update the tree preservation policy to eliminate any kind of ash tree that is susceptible to EAB (Mountain Ash is not — it is not cc true ash). In addition, it is suggested that the City incorporate a diseased tree ordinance into its Code. The League of Minnesota Cities has a ver y good model that could be used as a starting point for Shorewood's ordinance. The City Council may wish to direct the Planning Commission to study and make recommendations regarding the ordinance. III. Inventory. The old planning axiom "you can't know what you are going to have until you know what you've already got" applies here. Although we know that ash trees are a significant part of Shorewood's existing vegetation, we do not know what percentage of our tree cover is ash. There are different methods of doing such an inventory, ranging in accuracy and, of course, expense. Recommendation: It is suggested that, at minimum, we should know how many ash trees exist on public property. This is necessary for analysis and cost estimation. Staff will explore the costs of inventorying public property 2 Memorandum Re: Diseased 'free Program 2 April 2010 and whether or not there is some sort of financial assistance available for this work. We will also check to see if there are opportunities to use college interns (forestry or agriculture) to assist us. IV. Budget. Obviously there will be costs associated with a diseased tree program. While regulations can be developed and administered using existing staff resources, inventorying and any type of removal effort will cost money. Recommendation: It is recommended that in our budget discussion this year, something be set aside for an inventory effort for public property — street rights -of -way and parks. It should also be anticipated that the tree removal budget should be increased over the next five to ten years. V. Removal. Understandably, cities on the east side of the Metro, and apparently Three Rivers Park District, have taken a very aggressive approach to the EAB problem. There seems to be merit in removing ash trees (even healthy ones) over a period of years, rather than waiting for the trees to die all at once as the pest arrives in the area. Not only does this spread the financial pain, it also minimizes the impact of removing and disposing of trees in a very short time span. Recommendation: One of the better suggestions staff heard at various conferences and seminars we attended, was to not panic. It was also suggested that if the pest has not yet arrived, start the removal effort with smaller trees. They are equally susceptible to the pest, cheaper and less noticeable to remove now, and can be replaced now so that in ten years they will look like something. Once trees exhibit infestation, they should be aggressively removed, both on public as well as private property. VI. Reforestation. The cities aggressively removing trees all seem to have a policy of replacing them one for one as they go. Some cities are also providing low -cost replacement trees for their residents to encourage them to replace trees sooner than later. Shorewood had such a program, twice, several years ago. Recommendation: It seems appropriate that the City would replace trees removed front public property. In this regard, the preferred, and most cost - effective, method is bare -root planting at optimum times of the year. If the Council is interested in providing trees to residents, staff can explore the costs of such an effort. Ideally that program would be revenue neutral. VII. Coordination With Nearby Cities. Intuitively there should be some benefits in coordinating our efforts with other nearby cities, at minimum the other four South Lake cities. If' nothing else, it may enhance our chances of receiving grant money. Memorandum Re: Diseased `free Program 22 April 2010 Recommendation. - If Council agrees, staff will contact surrounding connnupities to see what they are doing relative to EAB and if they are interested in collaborating with Shorewood. At Monday night's work session, staff will be looking for direction from the City Council as to how and when to proceed. As always, if you have any questions prior the meeting, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone or e-mail. Cc: Brian Heck Larry Brown James Landini Bonnie Burton 11 7tt :; , % , wvv.startr'tbL1I1 .C'C }i'S1 �C)Ctl;�'cr:5ii t �i.11� ?171:'y;I i "1� c D8EQDUoa 1yP -a rTri b u n e, . c o m Ash borers Best defense is strong offense Three Rivers Parks is launching its largest -ever preemptive tree - removal effort to battle the emerald ash borer. By LAURIE BLAKE, Star Tribune Last update: April 22, 2010 - 12:21 PM Three Rivers Park District is not waiting for its 27,000 acres of prime parkland to see the green of the emerald ash borer's wings. Believing the insect attack is inevitable, the west suburban park district plans to cut down 200 ash trees a year -- even healthy ones -- for the next 10 years. For each of the 2,000 trees removed, a new tree will be planted to replace it. Invoking a lesson learned from the 1970s Dutch elm infestation, the district will leave heavily wooded natural areas alone, even though ash trees make tip a third of the park forest, and focus on removing trees in heavily used areas -- beaches, picnic areas, campgrounds and playgrounds -- before they get the bug. A few cities have embarked on strategies to cut and replace healthy trees, but none approaches the size of Three Rivers, which has launched its largest -ever preemptive cutting effort. On the 40th anniversary of Barth Day, Minnesota is poised for an expansion of an emerald ash borer infestation that so far has touched parts of St. Paul, Minneapolis and Falcon Heights, according to the Department of Agriculture. Adult beetles typically emerge in rnid- to late May, and the pest's spread may be revealed then, said department spokesman Michael Schommer. Getting ahead of the destructive metallic green insect by methodically cutting down trees every year will even out park district I abor costs and avoid pulling staff away from normal duties to deal with emergencies, said Paid Kortebein, manager of forestry and horticulture for the park district. But no one is predicting that the district's efforts will spare it from an infestation. "When it gets here we won't have to deal with so many trees that are dead or dying at the same time. It makes the operation of the parks a lot smoother," Kortebein said. Replacement trees -- oaks, maples and Exhibit A http:// 'wNN7- v.startribune.com/localAvest/91 77 5 579,htn. r= KArksLck_D0 QD ?oaLyg31 - P .. Page ') of 3 "The question is what is going to replace the ash, and my fear is we are going to end up with a lowest common denominator forest," with non- native, invasive species taking over, he said. Green and black ash trees, which are native to Minnesota, will be planted again as Dart of the district's forestry program because they are fast - growing. Some big ash trees on golf courses in the district could get chemical treatment to prolong their lives, Kortebein said. "If we lose one or two on a fairway it would change the character of the golf course pretty drastically." Laurie Blake • 612- 673 -1711 . ,. ACTION FORM ETTUM The Council discussed the idea of a Citizen survey back in 2008 and briefly in 2009 and following those discussions, staff began using survey tools such as Survey Monkey to get input on road projects, park issues, and other single or focused issue items. The surveys appear on the city's website and residents are free to participate. Please see attached for information on recent surveys conducted. There are few methods cities take to gauge the feeling of their residents. Most cities use a the firm Decision Resources to conduct a survey of residents on an annual basis. These surveys ask about the quality of services, value for the tax dollar, etc. Because they are done annually, the city can track trends year to year. 1 believe Shorewood received a quote from Decision Resources in 2008 and the cost of the survey was about $15,000. Another method is to use the survey services offered through the International City /County Managers Association (ICMA). This survey is similar in scope to the Decision Resources model with the added advantage of comparison to similar sized communities across the nation. The cost of this tool is approximately $9,000. Finally, some communities have tapped the resources of the state university to conduct the survey and data analysis and cities that have gone this route have experienced lower costs. Additional methods and follow -up on surveys include focus groups and charrettes. The bottom line really is what the Council is looking for in terms of residential feedback. Attached are comments from other meetings and a bit of information on the National Citizens Survey. Council Action: urveys we have conducted the two years: 0 Website Survey — current - March 2010 3) Arctic Fever event— survey completed after 2009 Arctic Fever event ® Recycling Survey — completed in early 2009 — ( °�..�. �,,,3a _ . �-.�� �� IFS =) Road Improvement Projects 1) Spring 2009 (Harding Lane and Harding Avenue residents) over 60% response 2) Spring 2009 (Smithtown Lane residents) over 60% response 3) Oct 2009 (Meadowview, Nelsine, Wild Rose) about 30% response Council Meeting highlights re: city survey: • 11 -13 -2006 & 1 -22 -2007 Meeting Minutes 1) Turgeon re: city curb -side pick up during Spring Clean Up, specifically if residents are willing to pay for this service and what items they would prefer to have included in the collection. 6 4 -14 -2008 Meeting Minutes 1) Staff provided draft survey questions to council. 2) Turgeon — Park related questions: Ask residents if they think spending funds on a particular park items is most appropriate use of funds 3) Bailey - What is the purpose of the survey? There should be a predetermined purpose for a survey. 4) Woodruff answers should lead to actionable results. Purpose of survey to assess how the residents perceived the city was doing. Ambiguity in the questions should be minimized, as should leading questions. • 4 -28 -2008 Meeting Minutes 1) Wellens — Survey residents on alternatives for using Liquor Fund balance 2) Baile — thinks it will be difficult to get residents to unite on how these funds should be used • 10 -27 -2008 Meeting Minutes 1) Heck suggested council review visioning report before moving forward with a survey ICMA Web Site ICMA National Citizen Survey The fir - sf rarzei f . i rr r Of g/r Os J Y V( rIMIr r r rs •.:ifif°r ra a i,sfiar.anm, - Notional Cilizen Survey— Pa e I of') `ghat, is The National Citizen Sutlrv(, ,'/ Developed by ICMA and National Research Center, Inc., The National Citizen SurveyT" (The NCS) is a low -cost citizen survey service for local governments. Tested, flexible, affordable, and efficient, The NCS lets you survey citizen opinion for ® Program planning ® Budgeting ® Goal Setting s Performance Measurement Staff can use the results of The NCS to improve service delivery. Elected officials can use the results to set spending priorities. The manager can use the results to measure progress and chart future steps. You select from a set of standard questions to assess citizen opinion about basic services and community life. Additional customized questions let you tailor the survey to your unique needs. A new feature of The NCS' basic service is the Key. ter r Aoi.Pysis, which helps you identify those attributes most likely to increase resident opinion of your local government's performance. An additional benefit to NCS p3 nc:pants who also participate in the ICMA C anl,r ,`r 2r.gent (CPM), Is that The NCS was designed to coordinate with the CPM data collection. Thus, local governments can submit citizen satisfaction data obtained through The NCS survey instrument to CPM along with their other performance measurement data. The NCS Basic Service offered by ICAAA and NRC includes_ • Customized survey form plus up to three optional questions • Customized cover letter • Three mailings to 1,200 randomly selected households, which include the pre -survey postcard and two mailings of the survey instrument • A margin of error (95 percent confidence interval) of no more than +/- 5 percentage points around any percent • Data input and cleaning • Data weighted to reflect population norms • Three reports: executive summary, statistical analysis of survey results, optional comparison with national norms (all in electronic format) • N[. Key «rnazr Analysis • Certificate of participation • Technical assistance by phone and e-mail • Entry to win top honors for Voice of the People Awards (lntr):/- w -n - r c a. n ..ervir i tipnal it r ur�ey I�.unl) • Access to Best Practices of winners of The Voice of The People Awards for Excellence and Transformation Additional Options: • Larger mailings • Customized norms by region, population, or other factors • Spanish - language version of survey • Addition of open -ended question • Comparisons to results from surveys you've conducted in the past • Demographic and geographic cross - tabulation • Phone survey • Presentation of results to elected officials The National Citizen Survey — . ()(then, and P'rice's Matrix The price for The NCS Basic Service is $9,900. Additional options are available for the following additional fees: Additional Option I Fee Description Basic service I $9,900 I The basic turn -key process that covers all bases of the mailed survey administration: creating the survey and survey documents, randomly selected a sample or address list of 1,200 unique addresses, printing, mailing, data entry and analysis and creating both a report of results and a report of normative http: / /www.icma.org /main/be.asp ?ssid 1= 2707 &ssid2 = 2710 &ssid3 =2710 &from = search &... 04/22/2010 1CMA Web Site Paae % cal 3 comparisons (with US jurisdictions), Demographic cry otabs $900 Crosstabs of questions 1-15 by ^, demographic variables on survey to be provided under separate cover from report. report Geographic crosstabs SI 100 Crosstabs of questions 1 -15 by geographic variable to be provided under separate cover from report. reports Custom norms $1,100 Through worksheet options, jurisdiction selects criteria for set of custom norms usually by population size OR region of the country. Custom norms will be provided alongside national norms in report tables. Graphs will include either custom or national norms but not both. Comparison to prior $0 Comparisons in report of results of prior NCS results. NCS results Comparison to prior (non-NCS) results T$1,7501 Tables include comparisons to previous years' service evaluation ratings in jurisdiction - up to three previous years. Expanded mailing $7,000 Survey is mailed to 3,000 residents instead of 1,200. Spanish $1,450 Includes Spanish paragraph on cover letters asking those who wish to complete the survey in Spanish to contact the jurisdiction and request Spanish copy of survey. Jurisdiction will be mailed envelopes - outbound and return - and surveys to mail out to those individuals One open -ended $1,500 Includes one open -ended question added to survey. Responses will be categorized and reported in a table under separate cover, accompanied by a complete question list of verbatim responses. Phone data collection $6,000 400 completed interviews On -site presentation $2,800 Creation of PowerPoint presentation and on -site presentation of materials by National Research Center, Inc. staff person * Please note that prices are subject to change. The NCS begins a new class each month. The entire survey from enrollment to final report, takes 18 weeks to complete. For a current schedule, cac9r Reliability of then Survey: Credible, C"onu parable Results Since The NCS was introduced in 2001, local governments in over 41 states have participated. The survey process is being continually refined to ensure that your local government receives the best information possible per dollar spent on your citizen survey. Your results can be compared, at your option, with norms based on the results of more than 350 surveys administered throughout the country. The NCS gives you results with the highest credibility from independent professional survey specialists. You get the satisfaction of personal service, the benefit of comparability with other jurisdictions, and the efficiency of a standardized process. We are now in more than 40 states and norms are available from over 500 surveys administered throughout the country. For More information For answers to your frequently asked questions (FAQ), click het! =.. To meet The NCS team, click here. For more information, a list of praticipants, and to learn how your community can use The National Citizen Survey' ", send an e -mail to nc.<.- :;(`icma.ore„. Many other materials on the subject of citizen surveying and The National Citizen Survey are available on this site in the downloads section below: • The National Citizen Survey PowerPoint, suitable for presentations to elected officials and other decision makers • Why Survey? Some Talking Points • NCS Survey Instrument • NCS Enrollment Form • Sample Report of Results • Article: "An Affordable Citizen Survey Now Available for Small Cities" (Betsy Bean) - The Mayor, Mar /April 2002 • After the Survey: Planning Next Steps • Perspectives, a newsletter about survey research for local government managers and elected officials How to Enroll Print out and complete the enrollment form (see Downloads section below) and fax it or mail it to: ICMA /NCS, 777 North Capitol St., NE, Ste., 500, Washington, DC 20002 -4201. Downloads NCS Brochure (Adobe Acrobat Document, 458 KB) � NCS.-ton I trollmgnt ppnn (Adobe Acrobat Document, 59 KB) lJ NCS P.eirtic; pants. (Adobe Acrobat Document, 37 KB) frvey lr U rnent -Cues 2g09 (Adobe Acrobat Document, 91 KB) T Survey Instrument Cocnt ... 24p9 (Adobe Acrobat Document, 90 KB) Sample Report - 1 - own of_Needham, MIA (Adobe Acrobat Document, 696 KB) � - Sample Report - Dovrr, DE (Adobe Acrobat Document, 852 KB) 1� D.om m,phic Subgroup Comoarl_sons R- =a (Adobe Acrobat Document, 188 KB) T CS Per p ctives - Spring ?f)08 (Adobe Acrobat Document, 1,277 KB) L1 NCS Information Guide (Adobe Acrobat Document, 475 KB) http://www.icma.org/main/bc.asp?ssidl=2707&ssid2=271 O&ssid3=271 O&from=search&... 04/22/2010 I ` A Web Site Page) of x' l_ ml (Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation, 1,428 KB) by Se ? '_.n. lalmom - u..s (Microsoft Word Document, 36 KB) Tie An Arfordable ren S - lacy (Adobe Acrobat Document, 33 KB) 'ter [Si _ g Plc,[ fco., (Adobe Acrobat Document, 68 KB) r -I of f ; ,u P , rnr Ncm. M41 20!' (Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation, 5,546 KB) http: / /www.icma. org /maiiYbc.asp ?ssid 1= 2707 &ssid2 = 2710 &ssid3 = 2710 &from= search &... 04/22/2010