The duties and responsibilities of the director shall be to:
A. 
Administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter;
B. 
Regulate the planting, trimming, pruning and care of all trees, shrubs, plants or vegetation in and upon any street, park, boulevard, alley or property of the city;
C. 
Designate and determine the kind, variety, quality or quantity of trees, shrubs, plants or vegetation in existence or to be planted upon any street, park, boulevard, alley or public place in the city;
D. 
Issue permits as required herein and specify conditions thereof;
E. 
When required, execute agreements for issuance of permit and file necessary bonds and insurance policies with city clerk;
F. 
Maintain and care for all trees, shrubs, plants or vegetation in and upon any public property;
G. 
Inspect, eliminate, prevent and remove any unsafe or hazardous vegetation.
(Prior code § 11-801)
No person, firm or corporation, including utility companies, shall cut, trim, prune, plant, remove, injure or interfere with any tree, shrub, plant or vegetation in or upon any street, park, boulevard, alley or property of the city without a permit issued by the director; provided, however, that any person maintaining any pipe, conduit or pole in any street by virtue of any law, ordinance or franchise may proceed without a permit when circumstances require the work to be done immediately for the preservation of the public peace, health, safety or welfare if the permit could not reasonably and practically have been obtained beforehand, but such person shall thereafter apply for a permit on the first regular business day on which the office of the director is open for business and such permit shall be retroactive to the date when the work was begun.
(Prior code § 11-802)
Plans and specifications and/or a complete description of the work desired to be done shall be submitted with all requests for permits. The director shall prescribe under what conditions the permit is issued, and may require a written agreement from the petitioner for the performance of all conditions. Furthermore, the director may require:
A. 
Bond or Deposit. A surety bond or cash deposit conditioned that the city shall be reimbursed for any expense that may be incurred by the city or any of its departments in enforcing the provisions of this chapter or any rule, regulation or order of the director pertaining to the permit. Upon the face of each application, the director shall indicate the amount of indemnity which, in his opinion, is required for each permit, and the amount of the surety bond or deposit shall not be any less than the amount so indicated. A separate surety bond or cash deposit shall be filed in connection with each permit, but, in lieu thereof, the director may accept a term bond or continuing cash deposit conditioned to cover all permits issued to any one applicant during a specified period of not to exceed one year.
B. 
Insurance. A policy of public liability insurance in the sum to be determined by the city attorney conditioned that applicant will save and keep the city and all its officers, departments and employees harmless from any and all costs, damages or expenses that the city or any of its officers, departments or employees may be obliged to pay by reason of, or that may arise out of, the granting and issuance of such permit. Said policy shall be so conditioned as to assure the ability of the applicant to respond in damages, in any action for personal injury or property damage sustained by any person, caused by or resulting from, or which may be claimed to have been caused by or to have resulted from the work permitted by this chapter, or from any failure to comply with the provisions of this chapter, or the rules, regulations and orders of the director or from any dangerous or defective conditions or nuisance created thereby or resulting therefrom.
(Prior code § 11-803)
No person shall cut, break, injure, deface, disturb, harm or cause any deleterious substance to be placed upon any tree, shrub, plant or vegetation in any street, park, boulevard, alley or property of the city, except in connection with and in the course of actual duties being performed as an employee of said city or pursuant to a permit to do so.
(Prior code § 11-804)
Whenever the erection, repair, alteration, removal or moving of any building, house or structure affects the provisions of this chapter, the superintendent of the building department, before issuing a building permit, shall first require the applicant to present an approved permit from the director.
(Prior code § 11-805)
Every person shall keep or maintain any tree, shrub, plant or vegetation upon his property or under his control, in such a condition as to prevent it from imperiling the life or property of others, being unsafe, hazardous or an impediment to traffic upon a public way. Whenever the director determines that it is reasonable and necessary to abate an unsafe or hazardous condition caused by vegetation, he shall serve a written notice on the owner, or person maintaining or controlling the said conditions, to do so. Such notice shall identify and refer to the offending condition and shall designate the manner of abatement or correction. Every person given such notice shall, within seven days thereafter, begin the work of abating or correcting said condition and shall prosecute such work diligently to completion; otherwise the director shall have the power to do the same and the costs necessarily incurred to do such work may be recovered by the city from the person owning, maintaining or controlling said condition. An appeal as provided in Section 8.12.080 shall stay these proceedings.
(Prior code § 11-806)
Any person aggrieved by the decision of the director concerning any matter contained in this chapter may appeal to the commission by filing notice of appeal with the secretary of said commission within fifteen days after such decision. The commission shall fix a time and place for hearing such appeal, and the secretary shall notify such person of the time and place of hearing. The findings and determination of the commission shall be final and conclusive unless overruled by the city council.
(Prior code § 11-807)