With this petition we, the citizens of Pflugerville, hereby request that Pflugerville’s Chipping Service be restored and reinstated.
 
Background
 
The City of Pflugerville has provided a “chipping service” that includes periodic curbside chipping of limbs and tree trimmings. Currently each neighborhood is visited once a month.  In the 2021 budget, this curbside component has been discontinued and this service will end September 31, 2020.   

This reduces service to:

• Drop-off service at the city’s recycle center;
• Free pickup of bundled branches as part of contracted disposal services; and
• A newly arranged pickup of larger unbundled branches by the contracted disposal services at $35 per 4 x 4 x 10 foot pile.

 
Discussion
 
While we appreciate the effort to arrange alternatives, discussion on Nextdoor.com has exposed a great desire by stakeholders to continue this service.  First and foremost, it is judged to be a very valuable service to the residents of Pflugerville.  In addition, there are also direct benefits to the community at large, as listed below:

• The chipping / shredding program encourages residents to be active in the maintenance of their trees and keep Pflugerville looking like a well-maintained and loved city.
• Some residents whose properties back up to, for example, a hike and bike path help keep growth along those paths under control by pruning branches.  Not being able to dispose of those branches in a convenient and free fashion will discourage such contributions to shared space.
• The chipper / shredder program helps to prevent an increase in illegal dumping of landscape trimmings.
• With the program in place, members of our community will often trim trees for neighbors who sometimes are elderly or may not be capable of trimming their own trees.  
• Many cannot afford the $35 fee that the solid waste provider will charge, nor do they have the physical capability to bundle the branches or a vehicle to move the branches to the recycle center.  
• A tangible product of the chipper shredder program is recycled trimmings converted into organic mulch that the city can use in parks, trails and offered free to residents who wish to pick-up mulch at the Pflugerville recycle center.   Many residents want and use this organic mulch, especially when composted.
• Removal of brush reduces fire hazards.

 
Thus, this city service is not merely a convenience, but it is a very important incentive for people to help keep Pflugerville looking great.  By eliminating this valuable city service, the net end result will be a reduction in tree maintenance, an increase in illegal dumping and a decline in the appearance of Pflugerville as a city.
 

Requested action

The City of Pflugerville has designated itself as a "Tree City".  If the curbside chipper shredder program is permanently dissolved and ended, the city will fail the test for this self-designation by abandoning the proper care of Pflugerville's trees, walkways and parks.

Please help us to preserve this important city-provided curbside chipper / shredder program, the "Tree City" designation and, most importantly, keep Pflugerville looking great.  We respectfully request that the City Council instruct the Operations Department to reinstate this service at the earliest possible time, at a level that balances convenience with expense.

If the city staff feels no inclination to investigate the community needs or chooses to take no action, then we respectfully request a clear process to put this service back into the formal city budget. The Pflugerville community feels very strongly about the value of this service and intend to pursue the re-instatement of this service. Also, please then identify a person within City Operations Department that the community can work with to craft a solution that fits the city budget and city resident's needs.

Thank you.