In the wake of our first summer storm, there have been a lot of questions about chipping services . Like so many Lathrup Village residents, my house is surrounded by large trees, and I’ve benefitted from those services more than once over the years.
However, as part of an effort to reduce city spending, City Council voted in February not to renew its chipping contract for fiscal year 2026/2027 (beginning July 1, 2026). Council members were keenly aware that this was a valued service and that there would be issues if it was cut, but ultimately decided that cutting chipping was preferable to other cuts being considered – such as further cuts to the police department; reduction of regular garbage, recycling and yard waste collection; or ending library services.
That said, the storm highlighted the impact of that decision, leaving many residents with large fallen branches to deal with – and also underscored the problems the city has had communicating with residents, as many property owners, unaware of the change, continued to drag their branches to the street for pickup.
The end of chipping services was communicated for several months in advance of the final chipping run on June 30th, on the City of Lathrup Village Facebook page , in its weekly e-Newsletter and downloadable App, and through its new text alert feed (sign up here). But those channels clearly are not reaching everyone.
Council did form a Communications & Engagement Committee that is charged with advising the City on how to reach more residents more reliably (next meeting is Tuesday, July 14th), and hopefully communication will improve in the future.
For now, the City will be approaching residents who have branches laid out for pickup, to let them know that chipping has ended, and that they’re responsible for removing those branches.
As part of its communication to residents, the City did provide a list of alternative ways of handling fallen branches, including:
- cutting branches into pieces small enough for yard bags
- bundling branches (less than 2 inches in diameter and less than 4 feet long) for yard waste collection
- burning wood in permitted fire pits (in line with applicable regulations)
- and, of course, residents may pay for private chipping services
These aren’t perfect answers – and it’s a fact that any cut to services is bound to cause problems and frustration. But this also isn’t necessarily a permanent state of affairs.
At the time Council voted on this issue, I asked if the City could get quotes for reduced service before we voted on whether to cut chipping altogether. We were informed at the time that that wasn’t an option. Since then it’s emerged that the vendor may have more flexibility than originally thought.
I’m sure Council will be revisiting this issue during the next budget season (if not sooner) and I encourage residents to share their concerns with the City Council via email or during public comment at our next Study Session and Regular Meeting on July 20th.