Form revised May 5, 2009

FISCAL NOTE FOR NON-CAPITAL PROJECTS

Department:	Contact Person/Phone:	DOF Analyst/Phone:
Legislative	Michael Jenkins/615-1674	NA

Legislation Title:

AN ORDINANCE relating to the creation of an Urban Forestry Commission to advise and make recommendations to the Mayor and City Council and establishing a new Chapter 3.72 of the Seattle Municipal Code in connection therewith.

Summary of the Legislation:

The legislation establishes an Urban Forestry Commission to advise the City Council and the Mayor on policy and regulations related to tree protection on public and private property. The commission will be comprised of 11 individuals appointed by the City Council and the Mayor, and includes a variety of stakeholders with various levels of expertise including the fields of urban forestry, arboriculture and horticulture. The Commission will be primarily staffed by the Office of Sustainability and Environment.

· Background: (Include brief description of the purpose and context of legislation and include record of previous legislation and funding history, if applicable):

The creation of this commission arises from the recommendations in the 2007 Urban Forestry Management Plan and the findings of the 2009 City Auditor’s report on the City’s tree management practices.

· Please check one of the following:

__X_ This legislation does not have any financial implications.  (Stop here and delete the remainder of this document prior to saving and printing.)

· Other Issues (including long-term implications of the legislation):

No funds are appropriated with this legislation. It is assumed that staffing for this Commission will occur within the existing resources of the Office of Sustainability and Environment. On limited occasions, it is likely that representatives of other City Departments including Seattle Department of Transportation, Department of Planning and Development and Seattle City Light will provide staff time or resources to respond to Commission inquiries or requests.