Int. No. 834

By Council Members Brooks-Powers, Louis, Hanif, Yeger, Schulman, Farías, Lee, Ung, Brannan, Narcisse, Holden, Restler, Hanks, Williams, Menin, Abreu, Riley, Paladino and Kagan

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the creation of a task force to coordinate the removal of fallen trees due to a severe weather event

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Section 18-142 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 21 of the year 2015, is amended to read as follows:

§18-142 Tree removal protocol and downed tree task force. a. The department, in consultation with the [office of emergency management, department of sanitation, local electric corporations, and other utility corporations identified by the department] downed tree task force, established pursuant to subdivision d of this section, shall develop a protocol for the removal of trees on city property that have been downed or damaged as a result of severe weather events. Such tree removal protocol shall require the department:

1. to establish effective means of communication with local electric corporations and other utility corporations identified by the department, so that the department is notified in a timely manner (i) of downed or damaged trees that have fallen on powered electrical wires or cables, and (ii) whether it is safe to remove such trees;

2. to effectively coordinate city personnel engaged in tree removal on city property, upon receiving information regarding the status of downed or damaged trees;

3. to establish a system whereby each report of downed or damaged trees is provided with a unique identifier or tracking number and a method to notify the local electric corporation and other utility corporations identified by the department when a downed or damaged tree on city property has been removed; and

4. to establish a system whereby department personnel engaged in tree removal may be deployed with local electric corporation or other utility corporation personnel, if practicable, to assess and remove downed or damaged trees that have fallen on powered electrical wires or cables.

b. The department shall publish prominently on its website as soon as is practicable after a severe weather event information instructing persons how to notify the city of downed or damaged trees or downed wires.

c. The department shall submit a description of such protocol to the mayor and the speaker of the council, and publish such description prominently on its website, within one hundred eighty days after the enactment of the local law that added this subdivision.

 d. There is hereby established a downed tree task force to coordinate the safe removal of trees or tree limbs that have fallen as a result of a severe weather or climate event.

1. The downed tree task force shall consist of the following individuals, or designees thereof:

i. the commissioner of emergency management, who shall be the chairperson;

ii. the commissioner of parks and recreation;

iii. the commissioner of sanitation;

iv. the fire commissioner;

v. the police commissioner;

vi. the commissioner of transportation;

vii. the commissioner of environmental protection;

viii. the commissioner of information technology and telecommunications; and

ix. such other members as the commissioner of emergency management shall designate.

2. The downed tree task force shall:

i. convene to implement and oversee the tree removal protocol, established pursuant to subdivision a of this section, when a severe weather event or climate event occurs;

ii. convene no later than three days prior to the occurrence of an expected severe weather or climate event, convene throughout the duration of such event, and convene no later than one day following the conclusion of a severe weather or climate event;

iii. convene at least two times per year to consider or propose any changes to the tree removal protocol established pursuant to subdivision a of this section;

iv. consult with representatives from local electric corporations and other utility corporations identified by the task force and invite such representatives to each convening of the task force; and 

v. within five days of amending the tree removal protocol, notify the mayor and the speaker of the council of such amendments and publish the amended tree removal protocol on the website of the department.  

§ 2. This local law takes effect 90 days after it becomes law.

Session 12

SIL

LS #8543

10/06/22

Session 11

KS

LS 16209/Int. 2365-2021

4/21/21