Editor,

I recently asked the city to trim some branches off a tree so the light from a street light could illuminate two houses on our street. They had done it once before with OMI equipment and manpower.

Two employees came by and checked the tree and said they would have to check with the City Manager Mr. Billy Edwards. They somehow got it in their minds that I wanted the tree cut down entirely, but that’s not what I asked them to do, just to trim some branches.

Mr. Edwards sent another two employees to measure the distance from the middle of the street to the tree in question. It was four inches on personal property so they said they could not use city manpower/equipment to trim the tree. Keep in mind they did it once before.

The city can spend thousands of dollars sending city officials to China, St. Simon Island, furnishing their offices with new furniture and running empty buses all day long, but can’t spend $200-$300 trimming a tree in order to make our neighborhood safer? If something happens to one of our neighbors in the future, I will make sure I send them to see Mr. Edwards so he can explain to them that their lives or property is not as important as their vacation trips on our taxpayers’ dime.

Daniel Rico
Hinesville