The "City of Trees" wants to know just how many trees form Sacramento's much-loved and long-heralded urban canopy.
An accurate count, city officials maintain, is a crucial business tool to plan and maintain its assets. "If I'm going to manage our tree canopy, what makes our city famous, I need information to make smart decisions," said Joe Benassini, the city's urban forestry manager.
Fair enough.
But what has dumbfounded at least one union representative is that the city – suffering a budget shortfall, employee layoffs and general economic stress – is proposing to spend $650,000 to count the trees, one by one.
"It's disgusting. It's ridiculous," said Aaron Donato, executive director for the Sacramento Police Officers Association. "Where are the city's priorities?"
Faced with a $58 million deficit this year, the city has trimmed the Police Department by 8 percent. Fire engine companies have been taken out of commission in a series of "rolling brownouts."
Benassini said he knows the $650,000 sounds like a lot of money. But the contract, he said, "is way more than counting trees."
Skilled people will walk every street, identify the species, assess its health and map its age.
General fund money set aside in 2005, lighting and landscape fees and a state grant will pay for the survey.
Donato said public safety is suffering, and the health of trees shouldn't merit a hefty city expenditure.
If the city goes forward, Donato has one suggestion: "Have them look for money trees."
– Terri Hardy. Send tips to moneytrail@sacbee.com
THE CRIME LINE: North Highlands robberies
show marked decline in July
A hot spot for robberies cooled down last month, The Bee's weekly analysis of local crime data shows.
Three robberies were reported in North Highlands in July, the Sheriff's Department said. That's much better than June, when there were six robberies there, and May, when there were eight.
Most happened along Watt Avenue. The community often posts the second-highest violent crime rate in the county, but lags well behind south Sacramento.
– Phillip Reese. For a view of crime in your area, see sacbee.com/crimemapper
ON YOUR GUARD: Beware of posers seeking community center donations
City officials say two teenagers and an adult have been posing as city employees, asking for donations for the shuttered George Sim Community Center in Lemon Hill. The group sets up in front of Wal-Mart stores.
Their pitch: The center closed because of budget cuts for youth programs and needs money to reopen.
The reality: The city Parks and Recreation Department said the center will reopen in 2009 after an $18.5 million renovation is completed.
City officials say to contact store management if you see the scammers. They are convincing: A city park employee's wife was persuaded to donate. She gave $5.
- M.S. Enkoji. Send tips to publiceye@sacbee.com
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