Council adopts housekeeping ordinance to formalize tree committee membership

Smithfield City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 2026-03 on April 8, a housekeeping revision to the municipal code governing city trees that clarifies definitions, reorganizes the tree committee and makes wording changes recommended by the committee.

The ordinance reorganizes the tree committee structure to specify a six-member committee composed of five voting appointees and one permanent nonvoting city council liaison for advisory purposes. Council discussion focused on the intent to preserve an odd number of voting members (five) to avoid split votes while retaining a council representative who does not cast committee votes. Staff said the amendments were committee-driven housekeeping changes and that an arborist helped craft definitions.

Councilmember motion and a second were recorded and the roll-call vote was unanimous (Jay, John, Chris, Jen, Todd ‘yes’). The ordinance was described by staff as clarifying the code rather than changing substantive policy about permissible species or maintenance procedures.

What’s next: Ordinance 2026-03 will be incorporated into the city code; staff and the tree committee will proceed under the clarified definitions and membership structure.