NYC pays seven times more than Jersey City to replace trees

Parks Division replaces about 20,000 of the bushes it oversees yearly.
AP

At these costs, perhaps New York Metropolis thinks cash actually does develop on bushes.

Some Metropolis Council members had been floored this week upon studying that the Huge Apple pays contractors $3,600 a pop to interchange a useless tree – or seven instances greater than the $500 price neighboring Jersey Metropolis pays for a similar work.

Contemplating the town Parks Division says it replaces about 20,000 of the 666,000 bushes it oversees yearly – that interprets to a whopping $72 million on tree alternative within the metropolis.

A bipartisan group of 5 Council members had been so peeved by the information that they fired off a letter to Jersey Metropolis Mayor Steve Fulop Friday all however begging his metropolis to bid on dealing with the Huge Apple’s tree planting and alternative companies – or on the very least present some steerage on easy methods to decrease prices.

The members despatched the letter out after Council Minority Chief Joseph Borelli (R-Staten Island) bought Parks Assistant Commissioner Jennifer Greenfeld to verify at a listening to Thursday that her company spends $3,600 to interchange bushes. He then pulled out a Jersey Metropolis doc exhibiting it pays solely $500, and demanded a proof for the discrepancy.

Council Minority Chief Joseph Borelli pointed in regards to the value discrepancy at a council listening to.

Daniel William McKnight

“Can Jersey Metropolis plant our bushes?” Borelli quipped. “I'm not joking.”

Greenfeld stated her company can be “involved” in regards to the prices and “can be completely happy to speak with Jersey Metropolis.”

Nevertheless, Borelli — who has beforehand made a stink about how a lot the Parks Division fees property homeowners for tree removing — determined he couldn’t wait and took issues into his personal palms.

The Parks Division spend about $72 million on tree alternative annually.

James Messerschmidt

He wrote the letter to Fulop, which was additionally signed by Council members Francisco Moya (D-Queens), Lincoln Restler (D-Brooklyn), Robert Holden (D-Queens) and David Carr (R-Staten Island).

“We hope which you could divulge to us what arboricultural magic you're performing throughout the Hudson River,” says the letter. “if not, we ask that your municipality submit a bid the subsequent time the [NYC] … points a Request for Proposals (RFP) for tree planting and alternative companies.

The council fired off a letter to Jersey Metropolis Mayor Steve Fulop, above.

Anadolu Company by way of Getty Photographs

As a bonus, “We'd be sure that your municipal staff are compensated for the $16 toll to enter Manhattan.”