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Per Minnesota Statutes, cities can accept gifts of property, including money or land, and use them if they follow the donor's terms. A city can accept donations "for the benefit of its citizens," suggesting that accepting donations, like making donations, must be done for a public purpose.
A resolution accepting the gift and the donor's terms must receive an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the council and fully state the donor's terms.
Each year the city of Marshall is fortunate enough to partner with many organizations-both public and private who help support city and community improvement projects. While city government plays an important role in developing, maintaining, and improving these public spaces, donations can make a meaningful difference.
Over the years, contributions from local organizations, businesses, and individuals have helped support improvements to parks, playgrounds, recreational facilities, and other amenities that benefited residents.
A recent example of community support in the form of donations was the generous support of our new aquatic center, The Splash. To date, in donations and pledges, the city has received just over $800,000. These funds helped off-set the cost of construction, play features and overall operations.
Certainly, parks are among the most visible and valued assets in a community and thus have garnered the most support from those wishing to support the city through their donations.
The city's initiative "Cultivating the Best in Play" by installing inclusive playground equipment in each park has meant a financial donation of over $15,000 plus in 2025 alone.
The businesses who have donated to "Cultivating the Best in Play" know that their donation to our parks will help make a community a great place to live, work, and raise a family and thus support their employees.
With the recent ash borer infestation of the city's ash trees, we have seen donations to support the planting of new trees. One example each year is Marshall Sunrise Rotary commitment to donate $1,000 annually to plant trees along city trails and parks to take the place of trees removed.
Marshall continues to have a strong foundation as a youth sports center for southwest Minnesota. Over the years, our youth sports organizations, like the Marshall Baseball and Area Youth Baseball Associations, Marshall Area Hockey Association and Marshall United Soccer Association have donated substantial funds to improve Legion Field, Independence Park, Red Baron Arena and Channel Parkway facilities.
These contributions help support the facilities and amenities that attract tournaments, bringing athletes, families and visitors to our community. When people travel to Marshall for sporting events, they also support local hotels, restaurants, gas stations and other businesses.
Many of our community events and activities that make Marshall a great place to live would not be possible without the generosity of local businesses, organizations, foundations and individual donors. The Sounds of Summer Committee annually works on sponsorships, recognitions and funding requests that allow them to put on the city's largest community event.
In addition, businesses partnered with the city and Visit Marshall to support Eats and Beats, our 4th of July celebration, and some of our community education programs and events, like Welcoming Week held each year in September.
A strong partner for the city has been the Marshall Community Foundation. Not only did this Foundation help obtain funds for the new aquatic center and inclusive playgrounds, but also have over the years supported our programs, such as Adult Community Center enhancements and programs.
Additionally, the city has been fortunate to receive in-kind donations from businesses such as donations of labor, equipment and materials. One small example of this, but with a large meaningful impact, has been the donation of U.S. Flags and flagpoles by our American Legion Post #113 over the years.
Donations can help supplement public funding and create opportunities to enhance community amenities while being mindful of taxpayer resources. Soon the city will be embarking on a capital campaign to raise funds for a new bandshell. The existing bandshell has deteriorated beyond repair, and its design no longer meets current accessibility standards as well as the diverse needs of community use.
The city of Marshall has been awarded $498,000 from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to replace the current bandshell with a new structure. However, more funds will be needed in order to complete the project.
A strong community is built through more than city government alone. It takes residents, businesses, nonprofit organizations, community foundations, and civic groups working together to make Marshall a great place to live, work, and visit.
We are grateful to the businesses, organizations and individuals that chose to invest in Marshall.
-- Sharon Hanson is the city administrator for the city of Marshall