Ridgewood budget hearing lays out plan to reach 250‑tree anniversary goal

At a Jan. 26 Ridgewood Village Council special budget hearing, residents and parks officials outlined a plan to reach a 250‑tree target to mark the village anniversary and asked the council to adopt more proactive tree replacement practices.

During public comment, resident Nancy Grennan Hill praised past plantings and urged an automatic replacement policy: "If we cut one down, we put one in," she said. Anne Loving, another caller, added, "I just definitely think that there needs to be 250 trees, not saplings, planted in honor of the anniversary of our country." Both speakers said trees could be planted in parks or street strips.

Parks and Shade Tree Commission representatives told the council they favor a combined approach of park and street plantings to reach the goal. Council and staff described a budget framework that would put $160,000 toward residential street plantings (a figure the commission said would yield roughly 120 street trees) and $100,000 toward municipal park plantings; an additional sapling program would add about 100 young trees. One commission member summarized the approach: "We have moved to a 1 to 1 request from the resident because that's the most successful for our staff and the tree."

Council members pressed staff on a persistent operational issue: recruiting and funding tree‑maintenance crews. Village staff said they have struggled to hire certified tree‑maintenance workers at public‑sector wages and may move funds from staffing to operating to hire private contractors if qualified candidates cannot be found. "If we can't recruit tree maintenance workers offering them full time salary, pension and health care benefits, we're sure as heck not gonna be able to recruit tree maintenance workers on a part time basis," one staff speaker said.

Council members flagged tradeoffs: more planting increases long‑term maintenance costs and hazardous removals after storms can require specialized contractors. Staff also showed a draft door‑hanger that would notify property owners when a replacement tree is available, a practice the commission said would increase resident uptake.

What happens next: councilmembers said the parks and shade tree budget numbers will be refined as staff review applications and grant balances; the planting plan and any policy changes would come forward as part of the formal budget process before adoption.