Council approves $11,422 DNR grant to update city tree ordinance and fund staff coursework

The Brisbane Common Council voted Nov. 3 to adopt Ordinance 53-20-25, an appropriation ordinance authorizing acceptance of an $11,422 grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to support a graduate certificate in urban forestry for landscape and naturalist leader Laura Karns Nutty.

Audrey Shaking, the city's grant administrator, told the council the Street Tree Commission requested funding through the DNR community and urban forestry assistance program to cover 19 to 20 credit hours of graduate-level coursework. Shaking said there is no cash match; all matching funds are in-kind, and the application was submitted Oct. 22, 2025. Laura Karns Nutty said the certificate typically takes one to two years, is offered quarterly and would be completed on her personal time as part of the in-kind match. The goal is to have a revised tree ordinance before council and counsel by early 2027.

Council members first moved to suspend the rules and read the ordinance by title; the motion carried. At second reading, the ordinance was opened for public hearing. An audience member, Howard, spoke in favor, saying he has seen the applicant's work firsthand and urged council support. The finance committee reported it had reviewed the ordinance and recommended passage.

After a motion to engross the ordinance and a roll-call vote, the council approved the ordinance; the chair announced the motion passed. The ordinance authorizes submittal, acceptance and appropriation of the DNR grant for the stated urban-forestry training and the subsequent update of the city's tree ordinance.

Next steps noted by staff include the expected DNR award announcement on Nov. 17, 2025, and internal scheduling to complete coursework and draft ordinance language for counsel review.