With only three of the eight Iola City Council members on hand, a strategic planning session Wednesday dealt more with questions than answers.
Still, members addressed a number of general topics that City Administrator Sid Fleming hopes will shape future decisions.
He kick-started the discussion by asking a series of questions:
? What are Iola?s biggest challenges?
? What does the city do well?
? What should the city stop doing?
? What do Council members want from strategic planning?
?Visions for the city in 2025 or 2030.
Two items in particular, staffing and equipment replacement, were touched on briefly, in part because they?re already being studied.
An ongoing Wichita State University study will give the city a better handle on whether a community Iola?s size is properly staffed. The Council also is taking a closer look at its equipment replacement policies, and whether savings can be realized there without affecting service or safety.
With that in mind, Council members Chase Martin, Mark Peters and Kim Peterson and Mayor Jon Wells focused on Fleming?s remaining questions.
Challenges
Beefing up the city?s industrial base, either by bringing in new employers or ensuring the long-term viability remains a top priority.
But in so doing, the Council pointed to a workforce shortage across southeast Kansas, exacerbated by the lack of quality, affordable housing.
