Council OKs $2 annual lease for Edgerton Food Pantry at The Greenspace

The Edgerton City Council on March 13 approved a facility use and maintenance agreement that will allow the Edgerton Food Pantry to operate from The Greenspace with distribution handled at New City Church.

Pastor Ben White of New City Church told the council the pantry now serves "about 45-50 families" and has grown by "5-10 families since 2023." He said the United Methodist Church can no longer house the pantry and that New City Church would use its 501(c)(3) status to continue the service, store food at The Greenspace and distribute at the church to avoid traffic near the Fire Station.

Levi Meyer, the city's Parks and Recreation director, summarized the proposed agreement and said access to the pantry storage room will be restricted to three governing-body members with key fobs. The council agreed to set the annual rate at $2.00 and approved the agreement on a 3-0 vote.

Mayor Roberts and council members thanked volunteers and the United Methodist Church for a decade of support and noted the pantry must move its inventory by March 29, consistent with the timeline discussed in the meeting. Councilmember Clay Longanecker confirmed the Methodist Church had given the pantry until the end of March to vacate the prior space.

The agreement mirrors the city's existing arrangements for other community tenants and establishes operations only during facility open hours. No additional fees, funding sources, or long-term maintenance obligations beyond the agreement language were specified in the meeting record. The council's approval authorizes staff to finalize the arrangement so volunteers can begin moving items to The Greenspace and New City Church can begin distributions from the new location.