Taylor council accepts lease to allow adjacent irrigator to maintain 3.5 acres in ‘Belly Button’ area

The Taylor Town Council unanimously approved a lease on Aug. 7 that will allow an adjacent landowner to irrigate and maintain roughly 3.5 acres of town-owned property in the area council members referred to as “Belly Button.” Council Member Lynn Dewitt moved to accept the lease; Council Member Bill Baldwin seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Town Manager Gus Lundberg told the council the town recently put part of the property under contract for sale but still controls a back portion with no immediate development plans. An adjacent irrigator, Corey Johnson, offered to reestablish irrigation by moving water shares so the parcel would remain green and better maintained. Lundberg said he consulted the local irrigation company and nearby land stewards and that the parcel is served by the West Taylor ditch.

Lundberg summarized draft lease terms included in the meeting packet: a 10-year term that automatically renews unless the town gives 30 days’ notice near year nine/eleven months, and an earlier-termination clause that requires 180 days’ notice if the town needs the land back before the ten-year period elapses. Council discussion noted the lease is written to allow the town to end the arrangement with notice if development plans emerge.

Council Member April Williams raised concerns about apparent inconsistencies in the notice language in the draft (questions over a 30-day reference versus the 180-day termination clause) and Lundberg clarified the 180-day early-termination provision. The council did not attach additional conditions at the meeting and directed no further action beyond approving the lease.

The council’s action authorizes the manager to finalize the lease consistent with the terms discussed at the meeting; the lease will remain revocable by the town under the documented notice provisions if the land is later needed for development.