Lake Benton council approves Heritage Center lease, allocates $6,500 to Historical Society

The Lake Benton City Council on Jan. 5 approved the annual lease with the Lake Benton Historical Society for the Heritage Center and allocated $6,500 to the society for 2026 museum operations. Trustee Scott Christensen moved to approve the lease and Trustee Rosie DeZeeuw seconded; the motion carried and Mayor Patrick Haynes and City Administrator/Clerk Eileen Christensen were authorized to sign the lease.

The council also approved payment of claims presented against the city, with Trustee Rosie DeZeeuw moving for payment and Trustee Scott Christensen seconding; the Administrator/Clerk was authorized to make the payments. Claims listed included Ottertail ($2,866.33), L-P Rural Water ($15,000.00), Johansen Repair ($4,301.34), and other routine payments to vendors and individuals. Earlier in the meeting the council approved the minutes of the Dec. 15, 2025 regular meeting on a motion by Scott Christensen, seconded by Rosie DeZeeuw; that motion carried.

The lease approval and the $6,500 allocation reflect a continuing municipal support arrangement for the Heritage Center, which the agenda identified as operated by the Historical Society. The motions were routine and carried without recorded roll-call tallies in the minutes.

City Administrator/Clerk Eileen Christensen later reported that the 2025 City Archery Hunt concluded on Dec. 31, 2025 with 16 deer harvested. The council set its next regular meeting for Jan. 20, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. and adjourned following a motion by Trustee Scott Christensen, seconded by Trustee Rosie DeZeeuw.