POLICY STATEMENT 15

TREES FOR CARY

Prepared by: Shaub Dunkley

Supersedes: 11/09/1995

Adopted by Council: 5/26/2005

Effective: 5/26/2005

POLICY PURPOSE:

To provide guidance to the staff regarding administration of the Trees for Cary Program.

POLICY COVERAGE:

This policy applies to all staff members involved with the administration of the Trees for Cary Program.

POLICY:

1.  It is the policy of the Town of Cary to maintain a Trees for Cary Program.  The purpose for the program is to provide the public with a means by which donations may be received and reserved for the planting of trees on public property in and around the Town of Cary.

2.  The Public Works and Utilities Department shall be responsible for the administration of this program.  Department staff shall maintain a public record of donations. 

3.  The Town may, at its discretion, maintain a plaque and engrave it with names designated by donors to the program.  Memorial or third party names are acceptable.  All material expenses associated with this plaque shall be borne by donations.  Tax funds shall not be used for this purpose.

4.  Donations shall be accepted in any amount from individuals, groups, companies, or organizations. However, if a Trees for Cary plaque is maintained, a minimum donation of $50.00 shall be required in order to have a designated name engraved upon the plaque.  Donors designating a common name may pool donations in order to meet this requirement.

5.  Donations should be made by check made payable to “Trees for Cary.” (Mailing address: Trees for Cary, PO Box 8049, Cary, NC 27512-8049).

6.  The Town in no way endorses the tax deductible nature of donations; however a receipt for the amount of donation will be provided to the donor whenever possible.  The Town shall not be party to the tax status of individual donations.

7.  Program donations shall be reserved for the material costs of purchasing trees and supplies, such as mulch or staking materials, which may be necessary for the installation and establishment of respective trees.  Program donations shall not be utilized to purchase shrubs, groundcovers or other plant materials which are not classified as trees.

8.  Staff administering the program shall develop a list of prioritized tree planting needs to which program funds, current and future, may be applied.  This list, called the Trees for Cary Planting List shall be approved by the Director of the Public Works and Utilities Department.  Adherence to the list is discretionary based on the best judgment of staff.

9.  There shall be no obligation on the part of the Town to fulfill specific requests by donors or other private parties concerning the type, size or location of trees for planting.  Neither shall there be any obligation to recognize an association between any specific donation or designated name and any specific tree.  When a decision is made to accommodate a specific request, it shall be a requirement that the requesters elicit received donation(s) sufficient to cover the full material costs of their request.

10.  Trees shall be selected, sited and planted in accordance with applicable Town ordinances and recognized good arboricultural practice.  Plantings shall be designed so as to provide visible and long term benefit to the Town and its citizens.  In order to most effectively utilize program funds, a two and one half inch caliper tree shall be the maximum size permitted for planting.  Trees planted under the terms of a special request may be exempted from this rule based on the best judgment of staff.

11.  Trees planted through the program shall be installed and maintained by the Town or its designee.

12. It is the intent of the program to reserve donations for the direct material costs of planting trees.  However, it is recognized that the program may entail material costs associated with the general promotion and publicizing of the program.  (An example would be the costs of publishing a program brochure.)  The administering department may, at its discretion, budget for and carry out endeavors intended for this purpose.  The costs of such endeavors shall be recognized as general operational costs of the Town.  Program donations shall not be used for this purpose unless a donor specifies otherwise.