well first... oak leaves fall off as the buds swell.. no need to manually remove them second.. in my z5 .. the oaks are just starting to bud ... so you may need some more time ... scratch a limb... just under the bark is the green cambian layer.. if green.. give it time.. recent transplants do weird things... if the cambian layer is black .. that limb is dead ... i suggest you call the city .. and by the time they get there.. in a week or two.. you will know if it is going to bud out ... no trimming.. just wait.... ken

Hmmm. Maybe nobody in your area has checked in lately, or maybe they're all preoccupied by Thanksgiving. Even if the compost pile won't hold them, you can run over them with the lawnmower & spread them on flowerbeds for mulch or just sprinkle them on the lawn. (If you don't want to do that, you might post them on freecycle.)

how big is big .. how about a pic ... has there been any major earth work under or around the tree in regard to the renovation ken

It does seem to look like a hybrid, but my burr oak in its first year or two did have some reddish fall color. After a couple yrs it's just colored like you say -- dull yellow-brown. More info: https://kb.jniplants.com/hybrid-swamp-bur-oak-quercus-schuettei/