City will not build dike

A proposed $300,000 dike to be constructed to protect northwest Benson from flooding was unanimously rejected by the city council Monday night.
It would have likely meant assessments against property owners in the Hawleywood addition whose homes were within the 100-year flood plain as designated by the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) in 2008.
Half the cost of the project would have been paid by the assessment with the balance paid by a $150,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Those funds will now most likely be returned to the state.