DATE: October 20, 2025
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, City Manager
Marlene Subhashini, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Derek Schweigart, Parks and Recreation Director
Frank Fanara, Parks Manager
DEPARTMENT: Parks and Recreation
SUBJECT: AGREEMENT WITH A PLUS TREE, INC. FOR ROUTINE PARK TREE MAINTENANCE SERVICES: $50,000 FY 2025-26, $51,500
FY 2026-27, $53,045 FY 2027-28, WITH TWO OPTIONAL ONE-
YEAR EXTENSIONS THROUGH JUNE 30, 2030
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that City Council adopt the attached resolution approving an agreement with A Plus Tree, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $50,000 in FY 2025-26, $51,500 in FY 2026-27, and $53,045 in FY 2027-28, for routine maintenance of City- owned trees from November 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028, with up to two optional one-year extensions through June 30, 2030; authorizing the City Manager to execute the Agreement; and finding the approval of the Agreement exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to section 15061(b)(3) and section 15304(Class 4).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
To ensure the health of City trees and the safety of the public, Foster City relies on professional tree maintenance services to supplement in-house staff, particularly for large or high-risk trees that require specialized expertise and equipment. Annual routine tree maintenance consists of tree pruning, tree removal, stump grinding, and the clean- up and disposal of resulting debris. These services are necessary on certain species of City trees to maintain health and to ensure public safety. In addition, some trees require removal due to structural instability, disease, or the potential for damage to surrounding
infrastructure.
Funding in the amount of $50,000 is available in the FY 2025-26 budget in Account No. 001-0520-452-2451, Contractual Services, for this work. Adoption of the resolution will approve an agreement with A Plus Tree, Inc. for routine tree maintenance in amounts not to exceed $50,000 in FY 2025-26, $51,500 in FY 2026-27, and $53,045 in FY 2027- 28, with the option of up to two additional one-year extensions through June 30, 2030.
Services will be provided at the unit costs identified in the proposal, based on tree size and trunk diameter.
Fiscal Year Amount
FY 2025-26 $50,000
FY 2026-27 $51,500
FY 2027-28 $53,045
Total $154,545
BACKGROUND / ANALYSIS
Proactive tree maintenance is essential to reduce the risk of public injury, property damage, and infrastructure impacts. Foster City’s parks, medians, cul-de-sacs, and easements contain a wide variety of tree species, each with unique maintenance needs depending on their age, size, and structure.
The Parks Division employs ISA-certified arborists who continually monitor the health of City trees, identify disease or stability concerns, and recommend preventative maintenance. While City staff have the training and capacity to perform work on smaller trees, most of the trees within the City’s system range from 30 to 100 feet in height.
These larger trees require specialized equipment, crews, and expertise that extend beyond the scope of in-house operations.
For these reasons, Foster City has long relied on professional tree service contractors to supplement City staff. This approach ensures that large-scale and specialized work can be completed safely and efficiently, while allowing City crews to remain focused on daily maintenance responsibilities. The previous contract expired in June 2025, prompting the release of a new Request for Proposals (RFP). After review of the submitted bids, A Plus Tree, Inc. was determined to be the lowest responsible bidder and is recommended for award.
Three (3) proposals were received by the October 2, 2025 due date. The Request for Proposals required proposers to provide pricing for a number of services. Upon review, A Plus Tree Inc. was determined to have submitted the overall lowest cost responsible bid. Table 1 shows a summary of the total of all of the “per unit” prices and Attachment 3 show the proposals broken down by each service.
Table 1: Proposal Summary
Contractor Total per unit cost of all
proposal items
A Plus Tree Inc. $6,864.50
Community Tree Service LLC $8,350.00
New Image Landscape Company $13,520.00
The scope of work is defined in the Request for Proposals that has been incorporated into the Agreement. Adoption of the resolution will approve the agreement for routine tree maintenance up to $50,000 in Fiscal Year 2025-26, $51,500 in Fiscal Year 2026- 27, and $53,045 in Fiscal Year 2027-28, with optional extensions of up to two additional years through June 30, 2030. If the City exercises the option to extend the contract for any of the two additional years, the maximum amount for that year shall be $53,045.
California Environmental Quality Act
The approval of the Agreement with A Plus Tree Inc. for the routine maintenance of City-owned trees is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21000, et seq. and the CEQA Guidelines (14 Cal. Code Regs. §§ 15000 et. seq.) Section 15061(b)(3), as the routine maintenance of City-owned trees does not have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA.
Additionally, the approval of the Agreement with A Plus Tree Inc., for the routine maintenance of City-owned trees is categorically exempt pursuant to section 15304 of the CEQA Guidelines as the work will include minor public or private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding of $50,000 is available in the approved FY 2025-26 budget in Account No. 001-0520-452-2451, Contractual Services, for this work. Subsequent annual costs will be requested in future budget proposals subject to Council approval.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Facilities and Infrastructure
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – Agreement
Attachment 3 – Proposal Summary by Service
Attachment 4 – Proposal from A Plus Tree Inc.
Attachment 5 – Request for Proposals