Trees standing in and upon any public street or place, or upon
any lot or land adjacent thereto, shall be pruned and trimmed by the
owner or owners or occupants of the property on or in front of which
such trees are growing so that the lowest branches projecting over
the public street or alley will provide a clearance of not less than
14 feet and a clearance of not less than 10 feet over any other public
place and so that no dead, broken or otherwise hazardous branches
shall be likely to fall and do injury to the public. Any tree not
trimmed as herein provided shall be deemed hazardous.
Any tree or part thereof, whether alive or dead, which the Director
of Public Works shall find to be infected, hazardous or a nuisance
so as to endanger the public or other trees, plants or shrubs growing
within the Village, or to be injurious to sewers, sidewalks or other
public improvements whether growing upon public or private premises,
shall be removed, trimmed or treated by the owner of the property
upon or adjacent to which such tree or part thereof is located. The
Director of Public Works shall give written notice to said owner to
remedy the situation which shall be served personally or posted upon
the affected tree. Such notice shall specifically state the period
of time within which the action must be taken, which shall be within
not less than 24 hours nor more than 14 days as determined by the
Director of Public Works on the basis of the seriousness of the condition
of the tree or danger to the public. If the owner shall fail to remove,
treat or trim said tree within the time limited, the Director of Public
Works shall cause the tree to be removed, treated or trimmed and shall
report the full cost thereof to the Village Clerk-Treasurer who shall
thereupon enter such cost as a special charge against the property.
No person shall plant or maintain within the Village of Soldiers
Grove any female tree of the species Populus Deltoides, commonly called
the "Cottonwood," or any tree commonly called the seed-bearing Box
Elder or Acer Negundo, which may now or hereafter become infested
with Box Elder bugs, and such trees are hereby declared a nuisance.
Any person having any such trees on his premises shall cause the same
to be removed. If any owner shall fail to remove any such tree within
30 days after receiving written notice from the Director of Public
Works, the Director shall cause the removal of such tree and report
the full cost thereof to the Village Clerk-Treasurer who shall place
such charge upon the next tax roll as a special charge against the
premises.
The penalty for violation of any provision of this chapter shall be a penalty as provided in Chapter
1, General Provisions, §
1-19, of this Code.