§ 90-47. Maintenance of trees.

(a)

Trimming, pruning, and corner clearance. Every owner of any private tree overhanging any street or right-of-way within the village shall prune, or cause to be pruned, the branches so that such branches do not obstruct the light from any street lamp or obstruct the view of any street sign or intersection and so that there shall be a clear space of 14 feet above street surface or eight feet above the sidewalk surface. Said owners shall remove all dead, diseased, or dangerous trees, or broken or decayed limbs, which constitute a menace to the safety of the public. The village shall have the right to prune any tree or shrub on private property when it encroaches on public property and thereby interferes with the proper spread of light along the street from a streetlight, or interferes with visibility of any traffic control device or sign or vision corner at intersections or interferes with the movement of vehicles. Tree limbs that grow near high voltage electrical conductors shall be maintained clear of such conductors by the electric utility company of jurisdiction in compliance with any applicable franchise agreements. Charges for tree services rendered by the village under this section may be assessed as special charges against the property owner under Wis. Stats. § 66.0627.

(b)

Tree topping. No person, firm, or village department shall top any street tree or other tree on public property. Trees severely damaged by storms or other causes, or certain trees under utility wires or other obstructions where other pruning practices are impractical may be exempted from this division at the determination of the village forester.

(c)

Removal of stumps. All stumps of street and park trees shall be removed below the surface of the ground so that the top of the stump shall not project above the surface of the ground.

(Ord. No. 696-04, § 1, 10-25-2004)