City Council Meeting Date: January 4, 2022
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Tim Behrendt, Street and Park Manager
Dave Bennett, Public Works Director
Title
Consider Accepting the Agriculture Land Lease for Hauberg Woods.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council motions to approve the agriculture land lease with Devenshire Farms.
Summary Report:
The agriculture land lease on Hauberg Woods, previously approved by Council, has expired. The leased acreage is based on the amount of tillable land. The amount of tillable land is 8.73 acres.
Devenshire Farms has leased this land for a number of years. The most recent lease was in 2019 with one-year leases renewed in 2020 and 2021. The City leases the land to Devenshire Farms who is the adjacent property owner. Devenshire Farms and the City of Northfield negotiate a lease payment based on the potential crop value and the quality of leased land.
As an aside, this parcel is not currently within the corporate limits of the City of Northfield. Typically, City property that is contiguous with other city properties is commonly in City limits and completed at the time of acquisition. Staff has been exploring background to determine if there was a reason it wasn't annexed when acquired but haven't found any relevant information. Staff is exploring potential annexation that is anticipated to be brought to the Council in early 2022 for review. As part of due diligence City Administrator Martig is in contact with Greenvale Township related to the annexation.
Alternative Options:
The lease may not be approved, and the City would be responsible to mow the property to control noxious weeds.
Financial Impacts:
The City will lease the land at $140 per acre and will receive a lease payment totaling $1,222.20 on May 1, 2022. The City pays $310.00 in property taxes for this parcel of land. The payment minus property taxes would be allocated to the Park Fund.
Tentative Timelines:
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