Hutchinson, a Tree City USA cuts forester job

About as long as Hutchinson has had a forester, the city has earned a place on the national roster of Tree City USA. For three decades, Hutchinson forester Mark Schnobrich has pruned boulevard trees, applied for grants and has given free advice to residents with questions about their own trees. Because the city expects less state government aid and has a limited desire to raise property taxes in 2011, the full time forester job will be eliminated. Schnobrich hopes to spend at least part of his early retirement to help make sure Hutchinson hangs onto its Tree City USA designation, though he says he's not sure what will happen to it.

I hate to see 31 years of active community forestry come to end. We hope to have someone in the community take it on.

Hutchinson, population 13,835, is unusual for cities of its size to have a forester to begin with. Schnobrich thinks that a forester shared among a group of cities might be the model of the future.

Ground Level is focusing on the changes cities go through as they deal with new budget realities. Some cities report their budgets are smaller this year than in the recent past. Hutchinson's city administrator Gary Plotz says the budget now is smaller than it was in 2008.

Hutchinson is cutting back positions in other areas as well. The city is trimming its fire department from two full time firefighters to one. At least eight people will be leaving Hutchinson city government before 2011. One of them is Gary Plotz. He says his position as administrator will be combined with that of the city finance director. Plotz already had taken over the duties of the planning director.

Hutchinson's plan through 2014 is to try to gradually eliminate reliance on local government aid. The preliminary levy for 2011 was set at 2 percent, which may be reduced by the time the budget is finally passed at the end of December.

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