FITCHBURG, Wis. — Fitchburg is considering a $55 annual fee for residential property owners to help maintain the city’s public trees and pay for additional emergency-response staffing. The charge is included in Mayor Julia Arata-Fratta’s proposed 2027 budget and would be billed through the city’s quarterly utility bills. The city has about 15,000 public trees. The proposal would also help fund two firefighters, one police officer and added emergency medical services staffing. The city is looking to the fee as state property-tax levy limits constrain how much revenue it can raise through property taxes. Arata-Fratta has said that without the new revenue, the city would need to make other budget changes. The plan has drawn opposition from District 1 Alder Dave Herbst, who supports investing in urban forestry but objects to making the charge mandatory. He has suggested alternatives such as volunteer help, donations or offering the fee as an optional payment on property-tax bills. Herbst said residents who contacted him were mostly opposed to the proposal. The debate follows Fitchburg voters’ rejection of a $3.6 million operating referendum in 2024. The fee proposal is scheduled for review by the Park Commission on Oct. 1 and the Tree Advisory Committee on Oct. 8, before the Common Council considers it Oct. 13.