Thousand Oaks Tax Proposed to Support ‘Community Forest’ : Finance: Plan would also force developers to plant trees and regulate how property owners trim greenery. It has become a fertile field for protest.

Seeking additional funds for a landscape budget that already exceeds $2.5 million a year, the Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday will consider establishing a citywide tax district to support its “community forest.”

An assessment district to fund ongoing tree maintenance is just one of several revenue-generating proposals tucked into a 40-page Forestry Element, which the council will consider incorporating into the Thousand Oaks General Plan.

Another policy set forth in the Forestry Element would require developers to plant trees along streets near their projects--and then force them to pay an unspecified sum for the maintenance of each newly planted tree.

A third recommended money-maker: requiring city permits for all branch-pruning or tree removals on commercial, industrial or public land. The proposed rules would limit how property owners and even homeowners trim their trees, potentially banning topiary or other exotic tree sculptures from public view.

The fund-raising proposals incensed some business and political leaders, who said they otherwise would have supported the Forestry Element for its strong emphasis on keeping Thousand Oaks green.

“In the past, the city has maintained trees as a public service, so why should we start charging now?” Councilwoman Elois Zeanah said. “Where is our sensitivity?”

The city’s gas-tax revenues and special neighborhood assessment districts have traditionally covered the cost of tree maintenance along city streets.

But now, Councilman Frank Schillo said, the landscape fund is inadequate to pay for certain improvements, such as tearing out trees that have caused sidewalks to buckle and planting less destructive greenery in their place.

“We’re going to have to say to the people, ‘Here are the services we can no longer provide and here’s an assessment district. Do you want it or not?’ ” Schillo said.

The proposal comes forth a week after the City Council decided to divert more than $200,000 from the landscape maintenance district and another $305,000 in gas-tax money to add state-of-the-art equipment to the new municipal service yard. Public Works Director John Clement had assured the council that the expenditures would not force him to cut tree-maintenance or road-repair services.

Zeanah, who cast the only vote against enhancing the city service yard, asserted that last week’s raid on the landscape maintenance fund and this week’s proposal to create a new tax district indicated the council majority’s shifting priorities.

“When the city wants to embellish a $64-million project like the Civic Arts Plaza or add on to the municipal service yard, they have no problem finding the funds,” she said. “Yet when we need to provide public services, which is our business after all, we scramble for money and tax the residents.”

The proposals for increased taxes, set out as “policies” in the Forestry Element, will remain only preliminary suggestions even if the council approves the forestry program as part of the city’s General Plan.

But the mere prospect of the council adopting a document that endorses such tax levies angered--and frightened--some business leaders.

Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce President Steve Rubenstein said he was alarmed at the added bureaucracy of tree-trimming permits and the added cost of a forestry-maintenance fund.

“Sure, businesses will be able to afford those taxes--all two businesses that are left here,” he said sarcastically. “This is the very thing that drove businesses out in the first place--not just out of our city, but out of California.”

Yet Schillo defended the conditions on developers as vital to preserving Thousand Oaks’ leafy look.

Builders often try to cut costs by planting trees that destroy sidewalks, he said. Also, some property owners trim shrubs or even oak trees into artistic shapes, which can kill the plants. Taxes and permit fees would generate money to correct these problems, Schillo said.

“The forestry master plan is perfection for Thousand Oaks, because it considers street trees as an urban forest,” Schillo said. “It’s total excitement for me. It’s the ultimate.”

To preserve Thousand Oaks’ namesake--and the dozens of other tree species in the Conejo Valley--the master plan recommends a vigorous planting campaign, a regular inventory of all trees, and careful training of city arborists.

Drafted by a consulting firm, the Forestry Element provides guidelines on everything from planting canopy trees over parking lots to creating distinctive landscapes in neighborhoods. It even mandates a regular “community forest forum” for citizens to discuss tree issues with professional arborists.

Environmentalists say the master plan provides a much-needed overview of the city’s tree-related policies, which are scattered among nine different ordinances, resolutions and standards.

“We’ve established all these rules on the books, so people believe we have reverence for this unique valley, but what happens in practice?” Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski said. “We keep giving exceptions and waivers. I hope this master plan gets us back on track.”

The Planning Commission and city staff have both recommended approval of the Forestry Element. The City Council will hold a public hearing on the matter at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Later in the evening, the council is scheduled to consider two other environment-related issues.

One proposal would authorize staff to draft a wetlands and flood-plain ordinance to protect riparian habitats. Any project that affects marshes, streams or flood plains must be approved by the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but a city code could set more stringent standards.

A second ordinance up for consideration Tuesday would require the council to hold a public hearing before selling, transferring or leasing any city-owned property zoned for open space.