MARSHALL — Funding cuts mean a tenant at the Lyon County Government Center is requesting a smaller office space.

This week, Lyon County Commissioners approved a lease renewal for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development office on the third floor of the Government Center. The move comes with a reduction of 1,680 square feet of space.

“The only change on this is, they are looking to reduce their footprint,” said Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg.

The smaller footprint would be a reduction of about $20,000 in rent revenue for the county, he said. At the same time, the reduction in rented space would also mean a reduction in cleaning costs for the county, he said.

Agenda materials for this week’s county board meeting said the smaller office space was requested by the Private Industry Council, due to funding cuts. Under the lease agreement, the total rent DEED would pay over the next five years would be about $429,000.

Commissioners discussed whether there were other available spaces in the Government Center that might be available for DEED. However, in the end, they approved the proposed lease agreement as presented to the board.