SAFFORD — Safford’s Utilities Division has an idea to make things safer for workers, and put a little money in the pockets of some residents.
Utilities Director Jason Brimhall proposed to the City Council a pilot program to remove trees that regularly impact or damage the city’s power lines.
“This is only a 20-tree program this first year,” he said. “We’re going to really track to see whether this has any impact to the hours we spend on this.”
He said the Electric Division estimates it spends more than 15 man hours each month trimming back trees from the city’s distribution system.
Under the plan, the city would enter into agreement with a property owner for the city to remove the tree, and the home owner would receive a voucher of up to $100 or a $100 credit on the resident’s utility bill.
The council gave a positive reception to Brimhall’s idea, and directed him to include the $2,000 cost in his department’s 2022-23 proposed budget.
