Editor’s note: This article has been updated with corrected estimates for reimbursement amounts for sidewalk replacement. As an aside, Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock said Thursday the sidewalk’s actual distance will be closer to 100 feet.
A new sidewalk will be installed at the southwest corner of Lincoln and Cottonwood. Iola City Council members voted Tuesday evening to deviate from city policy, instructing the City to shoulder costs for the project at 524 N. Cottonwood.
The city’s usual approach is to adhere to the sidewalk replacement program, established in 1991, which reimburses property owners for replacing sidewalks and curbs.
In this case, Iola Council members saw reasons to break with precedent. First, noted Council member Nich Lohman, the property lies at one of Iola’s busiest intersections. Second, the city’s upcoming splash park will only increase foot traffic there.
“I’ll also point out that we commit vast resources to driving,” said Lohman, mentioning the upcoming U.S. Highway 54 rebuild and the city’s $1.7 million investment last year in building a road and extending utilities to the Cedarbrook North addition. “Driving has its purpose, but so does walking.”
Lohman’s suggestion was to take funds from the sidewalk replacement program, which receives a line item budget of $20,000 annually, to pay for the project. “Those funds are already there and often unused at the end of the year,” he said.
When asked by Iola Mayor Steve French the status of funds in the sidewalk replacement program, City Administrator Matt Rehder said, “Since I’ve been here, with two $10,000 line items, I don’t know that we’ve ever spent $10,000.”
“I don’t think there’s been a lot spent out of it,” added Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock.
CURRENT POLICY reimburses homeowners $2.25 per square foot of sidewalk, or the cost of concrete, whichever is lower. For curb projects, that amount is $8.55. Reimbursements are capped at $1,500 for residential projects.
Lohman obtained two quotes for the 77-foot sidewalk. One from Umbarger Construction was $3,200; another from RBC Concrete was $6,000. A 2024 document from the City of Iola estimates the cost at around $5,500 for city crews, with $840 budgeted for concrete.
Per city policy, the homeowners at 524 N. Cottonwood would be reimbursed around only $700 for the project. At most, that would be about 21% of the total cost. The homeowners have said they cannot afford to shoulder the expense.
JOEL WICOFF, Council member representing Ward 2, seemed frustrated with the policy’s logic.
“To me, a sidewalk is city infrastructure. It may be that our code says it’s the homeowner’s responsibility,” said Wicoff.
He continued: “One observation I have about sidewalks, and I have a sidewalk in front of my house, is that the majority of sidewalk usage is not from the land owner. I don’t go and walk back and forth on my sidewalk,” he said to chuckles from the council.
“So I don’t understand why such a short piece of concrete is such a big deal,” Wicoff said. “And I hear the concept that we have the ability to vary from previous code policies. I don’t understand why we can’t put a sidewalk in. Because we need it.”
Council member Joelle Shallah was also supportive of the city paying for the project, citing the splash park and the intersection’s proximity to the Ready Set Learn preschool inside First Baptist Church of Iola.
