Caldwell — The Caldwell City Council on Nov. 3 approved a one‑year agricultural lease for approximately 16.3 acres of airport property to MS Farms for farming and irrigation. Councilor Dittmer moved to approve the lease; the motion passed 5–1 with Councilor Stoddick voting in opposition.

Rob McDonald, who presented the item, told the council the airport parcel had been farmed until roughly two years ago and then left fallow when an anticipated development did not occur. The lease terms allow the farmer to farm the parcel during the first year without paying a lease while the operator brings the ground back into production; the tenant is responsible for irrigation assessments, McDonald said. The lease is written as a single‑year agreement for 2026 and would be renegotiated if no development occurs and the tenant wishes to continue.

Councilor Stoddick pressed staff on the lease rate, saying typical rents for comparable irrigated ground without pivots run much higher and that "we're just leaving over $3,000 on the table." McDonald responded that when he negotiated with the farmer, the city believed charging a higher rate risked losing the tenant and leaving the land unmaintained, which would cost the city more in maintenance.

Councilors and staff described the lease template as the same one used for other municipal farmland and said the intent was to return the land to production without incurring continued maintenance costs for the city. Staff confirmed the lease requires renegotiation after the one‑year term if the city and tenant wish to continue.

What was approved: a one‑year lease to MS Farms for approximately 16.3 acres at the Caldwell airport, rent waived for the first year to allow site reclamation, tenant obligated to pay irrigation assessments; council approved the lease 5–1.