Comments for Budget and Audit Committee Meeting 6/16/26, 11:00 am

Agenda Item 3
Proposed Update to the City Auditor’s Fiscal Year 2026/27 Work Plan: File ID 2026-01237

Dear Members of the Budget and Audit Committee,

I am surprised and pleased to see a performance audit of the Department of Urban Forestry’s Operation and Maintenance (p. 8 of PDF version of staff report) in the City Auditor’s Work Plan. The objective is to assess whether the City’s tree inspection and pruning programs are effectively designed to meet service-level expectations and to protect the public. I am sure this audit will be welcomed by Sacramento residents as there is currently a 2-year waiting period for demand pruning requests. When tree limbs are rubbing on the roof of a home, where there are dead limbs over driveways, yards, streets or sidewalks, it is a matter of public safety to have these matters attended to on a tight timeline. Proper pruning and maintenance can also extend the life and health of a tree. There is also a 2-year backlog for stump removals; in June 2025 the City Council approved $500,000 to help alleviate this situation. Stump removal does not address the delay in tree canopy replacement, which is a vitally important component of our Climate Action and Adaptation Plan and Urban Forest Plan.

The auditor’s report states: “The objective of this audit is to assess whether the City’s tree inspection and trimming program is effectively and efficiently designed and operating to protect public safety and meet service-level expectations.” However, maintenance entails more than inspection and trimming. New tree plantings need to be done in a timely manner and need water to survive. Urban Forestry provides water for the first three years. A performance audit would need to ascertain whether watering is done consistently, and whether some species of trees require water beyond the first three years in order to successfully survive.

This performance audit is a step in the right direction, but, importantly a budget audit should also be included, as there is a direct and dynamic relationship between funding and performance. Indeed, you can’t properly look at either - budget or performance - in a vacuum. The city has plans that rely on the Urban Forest Plan - such as Streets for People and SacAdapt, and it is a crucial element of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. However, Urban Forestry’s hands are tied; it is not nearly at the level off funding required to properly maintain city trees and grow our Urban Forest to meet our climate goals.

The budget audit should review the Tree Planting and Replacement Fund to see where these monies are expended, and also the income: whether the fees and penalties that go into this fund are waived, and the reasons they are waived. A budget audit should also review the Urban Forestry cost center to see how, where, why and if funds are going to other sections in Public Works.

I ask that the Budget and Audit Committee request a budget audit of Urban Forestry in addition to the proposed performance budget. Thank you for your consideration of my comments.

Best,

Francesca Reitano
Elmhurst, District 6

also sent via email to:
district2@cityofsacramento.org,
District 3 <district3@cityofsacramento.org>,
district5@cityofsacramento.org,
Eric Guerra <eguerra@cityofsacramento.org>,
Philip Norton <pnorton@cityofsacramento.org>