Accord escaped Iola council members Monday night, leading them to schedule a special session at 5:15 p.m. next Monday to attempt to resolve concerns about the city’s 2016 budget. MUCH THE same occurred with the cell phone proposal. IN OTHER NEWS, council members:
They also failed to reach agreement on a proposal to restrict use of cell phones by drivers in Iola, although they did vote to send resolutions to Allen County commissioners and state legislators to encourage them to deal with the issue on a broader scale.
Councilman Bob Shaughnessy first questioned the budget and a 2-mill increase of its levy, calling rising taxes and higher water charges “a vicious cycle.” With “lower taxes more people would be coming to Iola,” he predicted. The housing market is depressed, Shaughnessy said, by as much as 40 percent and new houses aren’t being built because they don’t “assess at what you have in them,” which means the builder can’t remove costs and make a profit. Councilwoman Beverly Franklin agreed.
Shaughnessy is a contractor, and in addition to new construction remodels older homes. With older homes, he thinks the opposite is true with appraisals. He cited a house on Kentucky Street that he remodeled. “I made it a nice home, and the levy increased four times — that really takes the wind out of your sails.”
Councilman Aaron Franklin, with the fire department’s proposed budget decreased by $126,000, wondered how it could operate efficiently with a 31-person staffing model but with 28 on board. “That’s a sizable decrease,” he said, apparently both of budget and personnel.
Another councilman, Jon Wells, assured the fire department’s budget was sufficient. City Administrator Carl Slaugh, in response to Beverly Franklin’s, and others, comments that personnel weren’t happy, said “they complain about working lots of hours, but they like the overtime” pay.
Slaugh said the general budget was pared significantly from first blush, by $660,000 to $6,642,689. “That’s just $11,789 over the 2015 budget,” he said, and observed all departments had their budgets reduced, not just the fire department.
The budget projects a levy of 35.401 mills for the general fund and 42.912 total for 2016.
Slaugh said the 2-mill levy, which would generate just under $60,000, was recommended to “restore a little solvency to the electric fund. Some of the transfers from utility funds will be taken from the gas fund rather than the electric fund to balance things out.”
Discussion meandered before Wells moved to approve the budget. When it became obvious all five councilmen presence weren’t in favor, the Monday special meeting, with Wells again making the motion, was scheduled. All five council members would have had to vote for the budget’s approval, or a majority of the eight-member council. Absent were council members Sandy Zornes, Nancy Ford and Austin Sigg, as well as Mayor Joel Wicoff.
Aaron Franklin echoed the thoughts of others: “I feel like I have new information (about the fire department, for one)” but “I’m not comfortable that I have all the information I need to make a decision.
Slaugh mentioned ordinances in other cities that restricted their use by drivers, including fines of $100 for a first offense and escalating from there.
Wells was outspoken in his concerns: That a $100 fine was too high when a seatbelt violation drew a $10 fine; that it would be difficult to enforce a ban, particularly with people driving into town on two major highways, even if signage announced restrictions.
“We would concentrate on awareness,” said Chief of Police Jared Warner. Comments from the Highway Patrol said even-handed enforcement was difficult and, Warner added, selective enforcement might be a concern with drivers from out of town, and even out of state.
That’s when Wells began to champion a resolution, at very least to have restrictions countywide, and also to spur legislators, although a move to ban drivers from using cell phones statewide failed to make it from committee last session.
Aaron Franklin, who first brought up the discussion, agreed a statewide ban would be better, but said he thought a grassroots effort, as in Iola, would be helpful — “it takes time to get the word out. Reality is, it is an issue,” and he was “looking for an opportunity to make a change.”
“I have too many questions about enforcement,” Wells countered. “I don’t have enough answers to say yes.”
All agreed statewide enforcement would be the best option, and with it next to certain all five council members would not agree to a ban, Wells’ proposition for a resolution won the day. It passed 4-1, with Shaughnessy voting no. Staff will prepare the resolution for the Aug. 24 meeting. It will not preclude further discussion about a ban in Iola.
— Discussed possibilities of Iola obtaining Community Development Block Grants with Susan Galemore, a representative of the Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission. Galemore pointed out Iola has not had a survey done to identify low- to moderate-income residents since the 2010 census, which put the number at 34 percent. In most cases, 51 percent is a CDBG requirement, she said.
In response to questions, she said curb and gutter grants could be based on a neighborhood, which likely would make it difficult to reach the income threshold, and that a citywide program might be more doable. As for housing, Galemore said a housing assessment survey was a prerequisite, and also would require citizen input — “it’s an involved process.” For a grant to improve infrastructure for the G&W Foods grocery, the company would have to be a participant at 25 percent.
“Lots of (dilapidated) housing needs to go,” said Beverly Franklin. Demolition could fit in with housing development, Galemore said, but is a difficult match unless there are underlying circumstances, such as houses that were significantly damaged by the 2007 flood.
— Approved an electric power capacity agreement with Chanute to provide about 4.7 megawatts in 2016 for $9,400 a month. Iola is required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to demonstrate capacity to provide peak load of the city plus 12 percent reserve. The city has 22.5 megawatts of self-generation capacity, or about 4.7 megawatts too little, thus requiring the purchase agreement.
— Unanimously approved a resolution to permit Thrive Allen County to have camping in Riverside Park, use the Recreation Community Building’s restrooms and have a beer garden on Sept. 12 from 1 to 11:30 p.m. for its Portland Alley Pedal Fest. The event will have several bicycle races of 25 to 100 miles.
— Turned thumbs down on a proposal to spend $22,000 to erect lights along North Kentucky Street from North Dakota (Strickler Road) to Oregon Road. They also tabled until their Aug. 24 meeting consideration of putting no-parking signs along Kentucky, north from East Street (U.S. 54). Residents who have an opinion on parking are urged to attend the meeting.
— Gave the Iola High Booster Club permission to ignite fireworks at the start of the Iola-Santa Fe Trail football game on Sept. 4 in Riverside Park.
Iola delays budget decision
