Council agrees to keep Marshall Gun Club lease intact without increasing rent

The first of two discussion items on Monday night's Marshalltown city council agenda pertained to the renewal of a lease with the Marshall Gun Club for city-owned land north of town near the airport, and the council ultimately agreed unanimously to leave the rent at its current rate of $75 per acre per year for a total amount of $556.50.

As Public Works Director Heather Thomas explained, the city reviewed and amended its policy on leases in 2025 to stipulate that fair market rent must be charged unless a public benefit can be determined and demonstrated. The Gun Club, a nonprofit organization, leases 7.42 acres of city property and owns adjacent property outright.

Thomas said the nearby farmground the city owns is leased at between $235 and $310 an acre, but the Gun Club was asking to maintain its $75 lease for at least one more year. Gun Club President Allen Huseboe then came forward and noted that they are only open six months a year, and the land has been determined to be "nonproductive" due to the lead on the ground.

After Thomas fielded a few further questions on comparable land from Councilor Sue Cahill, City Administrator Carol Webb asked Huseboe to share details on the public benefit. He noted that Fisher/Emerson employees use the shooting range, and they also have a skeet and trapshooting program for students in grades 6-12 from area school districts like BCLUW, East Marshall, West Marshall, Marshalltown and Grundy Center that includes two tournaments a year for the kids.

Councilor Marco Yepez-Gomez said he had toured the site recently, and he also credited the Gun Club team for maintaining the land and saving the city money on mowing in the process. Expressing his preference for a compromise between the current $75 lease and the $235 market value estimate, he suggested $150.

Fellow Councilor Gary Thompson asked Huseboe how the organization would come up with the money if the rent was raised, and he replied that they do charge membership dues and have some money in the bank as it stands. When asked what he thought a fair rent would be, Huseboe deferred, indicating that it was the city's land and up to the council to decide.

Thompson felt there was enough public benefit given the use for the high school programs to leave the lease at $75, and Councilor Jeff Schneider quickly made a motion to that effect. During the public comment period, Layne Pieri indicated a preference for raising the rate due to the city's budgetary concerns.

"I understand that it provides benefit to the schools and maybe Emerson/Fisher. There's a lot of public that isn't included in either of those to consider as well," Pieri said.

The council voted unanimously to proceed with the $75 lease as outlined in the motion. The Marshall Gun Club is located at 1631 Reed Ave.

Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.