The Austin City Council accepted a gift ahead of Christmas earlier this week that should protect some properties from flooding in the future.

Charles Fawver of Fawver Agency Realtors donated a property valued at $118,887 near 21st Street and Eighth Avenue Southwest to the city of Austin for a levy and flood basin.

“This donation will allow us to build the levy, which will protect residential parcels along 21st Street and Seventh Avenue and over to Eighth Avenue Southwest,” Lang said. “I think what’s unique about it is we have a property owner who was willing to donate the property to the city, which really makes this unique.”

The deal needs to close by Dec. 31, 2015, and under the terms the city would pay the 2015 property taxes on the parcel of $372.

It still needs to be reviewed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Plans are still being finalized and the storm water affects, and Lang said the project likely wouldn’t be built in 2017.

“[We] greatly appreciate his cooperation with this project,” Lang said.