[blau993]

You are right on, slick. Crape Myrtles need to be trimmed way back every 2 or 3 years. If the ones shown in the photo are representative, there is absolutely nothing wrong with what he did. Hopefully the church has a good lawyer among its congregation. File an appeal of the fine and get a good arborist in to support you. The city guy doesn’t know what he is talking about.

[MontaniSemperLiberi]

See post 44. Every good CM in my county looks like that in April.

[TXnMA]

A guy on the road we drive into town has ~100 yards of closely spaced crepe myrtles along his road frontage. Every year, he apparently walks down the row with a chainsaw held at waist height; and every year I swear that he's finally killed them off.

But every year, the things branch out and bloom like crazy. Amazing plants!