LANGLEY: Tree ordinance leaves little room for violation (SWR)

Kira Erickson reports from the Langley City Council meeting of Dec. 4, 2023 for the South Whidbey Record.

Chopping down a tree in Langley without a permit now comes with a serious – and costly – penalty.

The city council unanimously approved a new ordinance this week that aims to enforce harsher consequences for unpermitted tree removal in the Village by the Sea…

Now violators of the city’s new tree code will face big fines. For example, the unpermitted removal of a tree with a diameter at breast height larger than 30 inches comes with a $20,000 fine if on private property, and a $30,000 fine if located on city property…

They Said It

Director of Community Planning Meredith Penny explained that the new ordinance establishes penalties in amounts corresponding to the size of the removed tree.

“Additionally, where a violation provides the property owner with economic benefits, such as increased property values or savings in construction costs, the amount of the economic benefit is assessed as an additional penalty,” she wrote.

…citizens are being notified via an informational insert in their most recent utility bill. But as Councilmember Rhonda Salerno pointed out, residents who pay their bills online will not receive the insert. Mayor Kennedy Horstman made a note of her suggestion to notify these people of the change.

The council appeared to be in agreement that a more fierce tree enforcement code is exactly what the city needs. Councilmember Craig Cyr noted that it has “really hard teeth…”

Councilmember Thomas Gill asked about [exemptions for] other utilities, such as electricity and internet service providers. Penny responded that pruning is allowed and not considered damage, and that the work of these utility providers would not be classified as commercial tree work.