MISSION VIEJO : Tree Maintenance Appropriation OKd

A $385,000 appropriation to maintain Mission Viejo’s trees has been approved by the City Council.

Now in its second year as a city, Mission Viejo is still trying to shoulder the responsibility it inherited from the county for the city’s 20,000 trees, said Dan Joseph, assistant city manager.

“There were a lot of trees that were overgrown,” Joseph said, “and that contributed to the maintenance problems.”

Another complication the city faces is the abundance of landscaping that the Mission Viejo Co., the sole developer of the city, installed as part of a commitment to beautify roadways and parks.

“It’s good that they planted all that landscaping,” Joseph said. “But the more growth there is, the more there is to maintain.”

The council voted 3 to 1 (Councilwoman Victoria C. Jaffe was absent) to renew its contract with West Coast Arborists, a tree maintenance firm.

Councilman Norman P. Murray voted against the appropriation, saying that he was concerned about a $100,000 provision in the agreement with West Coast Arborists for tree trimming and removal of about 250 trees.

“I want to see a plan for removing the trees,” he said. “I also want to know what homeowners and other groups are paying for removal as a comparison.”

A July 10 report compiled by Jan Frainie, city parks superintendent, states that the city plans to plant 400 trees during the 1990-91 fiscal year.