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Council approves $5,000 capped stewardship contract for butterfly and native garden
Summary
Michiana approved a 2026 stewardship contract with Pizzo & Associates capped at $5,000 (paid in eight installments) to maintain a 2.78-acre butterfly garden and adjacent native-plant border while transitioning toward more village-managed stewardship.
Nancy Thill reviewed the updated stewardship proposal from Pizzo & Associates and the council approved the 2026 contract at the Dec. 12 meeting.
The contract shifts Pizzo from time-and-materials billing to an annual cap of $5,000, split into eight payments of $625 from April through November. The work now explicitly covers the 2.78-acre butterfly garden and an additional native-plant border the minutes describe as the trapezoid. Pizzo installed plugs under the 2025 agreement and expects stronger plant emergence after winter scarification. Council members expressed concern about ongoing annual costs and agreed 2026 should be treated as a transition year toward more village-managed or volunteer-supported stewardship; Pizzo indicated willingness to train staff and volunteers as part of the plan.
Tim McCarthy moved to approve the 2026 stewardship contract with the understanding the village will work toward developing internal/community stewardship and reevaluate at the end of 2026; motion carried.
