The Borough hereby establishes a commission
to be known as the Shade Tree Commission. The Commission shall be
composed of five residents of the Borough, who shall be appointed
by the Council, and shall serve without compensation. Two members
shall be appointed for a term of three years, two members for a term
of four years, and the other member for a term of five years. On the
expiration of the term of any Commissioner, a successor shall be appointed
by Council to serve for a term of five years. Vacancies in the office
of Commissioner shall be filled by the Council for the unexpired term.
The Commission shall meet from time to time as members determine to
be necessary, such meetings shall be duly advertised and open to the
public.
The Commission shall have the responsibility to plan and make recommendations to Borough Council for the planting, replacement, removal, protection, and needed maintenance of shade trees on public roads and in public spaces in the Borough in accordance with the landscaping provisions of Chapter
295, Subdivision and Land Development. The Commission shall survey all such shade trees annually and report to Borough Council. It shall specifically be responsible for implementing a new tree planting plan in accordance with the tree planting provisions of Montgomery County Open Space Program.
Whenever the Commission formally recommends
that the Borough plant, transplant, remove, or prune shade trees on
any street or public area, notice of the time and place of meeting
at which work is proposed shall be given in at least one newspaper
of general circulation in the Borough once a week for two weeks immediately
preceding the time of the meeting. The notice shall specify in detail
the public streets or public areas upon which the proposed action
will occur.
The Commission shall annually report in full
to the Borough Council its transactions, expenses, and related activities
for the last fiscal year of the Borough.
Public utility companies shall notify the Code
Enforcement Officer prior to pruning any tree located on Borough-owned
property for the purpose of maintaining safe line clearance and shall
carry out all such work in accordance with accepted arboricultural
standards. If accepted arboricultural standards are not followed,
the Code Enforcement Office will immediately file a formal complaint
with the state utility regulatory agency.