Despite the hour run time, the Eureka Springs City Council meeting on August 28 held a short agenda with much of the time taken up by the first reading of the Tree Preservation Ordinance provided by the Planning Commission, which did pass its first reading.
The ordinance amends tree preservation code with the goal of helping to keep city trees while allowing the appropriate use of private property. Amended as well, is the permitting process that property owners must go through in order to request tree removal. The ordinance has penalties for the removal of trees without permission from the Board of Zoning and Adjustment.
The ordinance does have amendments to be added by the next reading and will include omission of the city handling trees between sidewalks and roadways. City Attorney Forrest Jacobi pointed out that sidewalks and the area between them and roads is considered private property and not up to the city to maintain.
Other Items
- In an update, Simon Wiley of Public Works told aldermen that the Water Department had fixed two leaks recently, the first at Smith Drug & Co., and the other in front of the Carnegie Public Library. He also said that leak detection has begun and that the full job should be completed in the next few months.
- Resolution 848 to establish a public hearing for vacating Hyden Street between Block 147 Lot 1 and Block 136 Lot 12 passed. The public hearing will be at the Sept. 25 city council meeting at 6 p.m.