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Middleton adopts 2026 community garden manual and new fee structure
Summary
The Middleton Parks & Rec commission approved a 2026 community garden gardener manual and set plot fees at $65 for residents, $80 for nonresidents and a $30 reduced fee for qualifying households; staff said the manual clarifies operations after the city assumed program management.
The Middleton Parks, Recreation & Forestry Commission on Jan. 12 approved a 2026 gardener manual for the city-run community garden and adopted a simplified fee schedule for the coming season.
Parks staff presented the manual and told the commission the City of Middleton “transitioned the community garden under management of the City of Middleton Parks and Rec Department,” bringing the previously volunteer-run program into formal city oversight. The manual documents the garden’s mission, plot map, volunteer-hour expectations and rules designed to protect adjacent conservancy land.
The commission also approved the proposed fee structure: $65 per season for residents, $80 for nonresidents and a reduced-fee category of $30 for qualifying households. Staff said the reduced fee will be awarded through an online application that uses the school district’s free-and-reduced-meals eligibility as the qualification metric and will be available during the returning-gardener registration period beginning Jan. 26.
“Some of the rules might feel more strict because, sadly, maybe we had to actually have a rule about that,” a community gardener representing the committee told commissioners, noting many rules reflect the garden’s adjacency to conservancy land and the high density of plots. Another committee speaker urged the city to keep tone welcoming in public-facing materials while retaining necessary operational clarity.
Staff said there are about 90–95 plots at the Highland Way site and that the special-revenue garden fund will cover water utilities and operating costs; the city will not subsidize water. The manual also lists longer-term capital items such as fencing replacement and water access improvements that will need further budgeting.
The commission moved, seconded and adopted the gardener manual and fee schedule by voice vote; no opposition was recorded. Staff said registration for returning gardeners begins Jan. 26 and that a limited number of new plots will be available.
Next steps: staff will publish the registration materials and the manual online, process reduced-fee applications during registration and continue work with the community garden committee on future capital needs.
