Hartington City Council changes its rental rate policy

HARTINGTON — The Hartington City Council Monday agreed to change an outdated mechanism for determining rental fees, then raised some of those fees.

City Clerk Natalie Schaecher recently discovered the rental fees for city property had been written into some old statutes. That meant that legally the city had to abide by those old statutes when renting out space in the Camper Court, or at the Shelterhouse or the City Auditorium.

City Attorney Steve Pier advised the board at a previous meeting that it would be better to repeal these statutes then set the rental rates with a resolution.

The Council did just that Monday, repealing the old statutes, then passing a resolution to set the rental rates.

The rental rate for the Camper Court is $16 a night, while the rental fee for the City Auditorium and Shelter House was set at $125.

Also Monday, the Council approved a building report for Mike Hamilton. Hamilton wants to build a garage west of his house.

The Council also approved a proclamation declaring March as Gambling Awareness Month.

Monday’s meeting featured a short six-item agenda that only took a few minutes to complete.

Councilman Cody Christensen and Pier were both absent from the meeting. The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting is slated for Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Hartington City Hall.