Beverly Franklin
Beverly Franklin is a long-time Iolan who runs B & J Homes with her daughter, Jackie McIntyre. Prior to that, Franklin worked for 43 years at what formerly was known as Iola Bank & Trust and then TeamBank, today’s Great Southern Bank.
This is her inaugural run into elective politics.
“I’ve always had an interest in the city and I feel like I have something to offer,” said
Melinda Luttrell
Melinda Luttrell, owner of Brooklyn Park Antiques, is making her inaugural foray into politics.
But she has a good idea of what will make an effective council: open lines of communication.
“There are a lot of positive things the city provides, but we can’t count on the city to provide everything,” she said.
Her husband, Mike, is a probation officer for the county.
Dana Moodie
Dana Moodie has lived in Iola for about four years. He retired after working 18 years for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation in the gaming enforcement unit and later in the intelligence section.
He grew up in Fort Scott, living there until moving to Topeka for his KBI duties.
“I feel like I have something to offer the city,” he said.
Moodie joined Iola’s Planning Commission in 2009.
Joel Wicoff
Joel Wicoff, 37, has lived in Iola for the past six years. His wife, Lisa, is an Iola native.
He worked at what then was Precision Pump for about a year and half. For the past four years he has operated run Deep Creek Engineering, which provides design and engineering consultation on construction projects.
“We have a good town in Iola, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to keep what we have,” Wicoff said.
Ward 2 candidates offer thoughts on city
Iola’s new eight-member city council, which will be chosen in the April 5 city elections, will feature two representatives from each of the city’s four voting wards.
Today’s article focuses on Ward 2, representing the northeast quadrant of the city.
Voters will decide from among Beverly Franklin, Melinda Luttrell, Dana Moodie and Joel Wicoff. The top two vote-getters will be seated in April.
What do you consider Iola’s strengths and why?
Beverly Franklin — I consider Iola’s manufacturing plants a great strength because of the jobs they provide for citizens of Allen and surrounding counties. Jobs benefit the economy of our city. Another strength is our schools, including Allen Community College and Allen County Hospital. Iola provides its own utilities, which is a large benefit to Iola’s citizens. Iola Industries, Homes for Iola, as well as its civic groups are of enormous value.
Melinda Luttrell — The people of Iola. The courthouse square and the variety of stores in town. The community garden. Allen County Youth Football. The Farmer’s Market. Many customers have commented to me that they like Iola, as it is a “clean town.”
Dana Moodie — Iola is a vibrant city on the upswing. What makes Iola vibrant are the people who have chosen to make this city the place where they want to live, to work and to thrive. Without them, the city would cease to exist.
Joel Wicoff — Iola is a unique town for its size. At the same time that many of our citizens work close enough to their jobs that they can go home for lunch, Iola has many big-city perks. We have an amazing cultural center, in the Bowlus, that allows our citizens to experience top-notch performances without having to leave for the big city. For other recreational enthusiasts, Iola offers small parks scattered throughout town, the rail trail, and the new swimming pool in addition to a very nice recreation building in a beautiful tree-filled Riverside Park. Our children can experience a wide range of activities that are affordable, thanks to the city recreation programs, the Bowlus trusts and the general belief of Iola organizations that all activities should be accessible to all children. This is the first of three things I chose to highlight in my campaign — “maintain.” We have to not only maintain our current infrastructure, but improve what we have. We are extremely fortunate to have retained the businesses providing retail and recreation opportunities that we have, when many other cities I drive through are full of empty storefronts. While it may not be possible to find absolutely everything we want in Iola, we can find everything we need.
What do you consider the city’s biggest challenges?
Melinda Luttrell — We need to maintain our population base and work toward plans/ideas to make Iola more attractive. Attract new businesses with competitive utilities and taxes. Research if there are any areas that could run more efficiently and effectively.
Dana Moodie — In looking at Iola, I don’t see challenges but rather opportunities. I see the opportunity to attract quality businesses. I see the opportunity to attract young people who want to move here, raise their families here and most of all stay here. Another opportunity I see is to improve the quality services the city already provides to its residents that makes them feel safe and secure in their homes, at work and at play.
Joel Wicoff — The biggest challenge Iola faces is population loss. In this way, we are no different than thousands of rural areas across the United States. We are fortunate that the housing bubble that burst across the country never really formed in Iola, and therefore our property values have not dropped as much. However, for that same reason the old sell of lower housing costs in Iola does not play out as well. We have to find unique ways to promote our town as unique. This is not only to attract new citizens, but to keep the ones we have. That is the “retain” part of my campaign. We have to give our high school graduates a reason to make Iola their hometown when they are ready to put down roots as adults. I realize that many people wish to remain in Iola, but can’t find work. That is the “gain.” We need an extremely well orchestrated campaign from the city to attract new businesses, and promote the quality of life that we have in Iola. I know firsthand what cutting out the long commute does for family time and lowering stress.
Beverly Franklin — I believe the biggest challenge for Iola is the fact our housing stock is getting older and smaller. We need affordable housing. I feel my experience as a mortgage lender for many years, and as contractor with my daughter, would be helpful in this aspect.
What would you like to see the city do or offer more of in terms of services?
Dana Moodie — The city offers excellent services to its residents. Not all cities have twice a week trash service and inclusive water, sewer, gas and electric. I have not heard any discouraging words regarding those services or about the highly trained and motivated city employees who provide those services. If we are to maintain the high quality of services on all levels, we need to retain these dedicated and motivated individuals. When you see one these employees, let them know that you appreciate what they do for you and your family. A simple “thanks” can go a long way.
Joel Wicoff — I believe that the city itself is going to have to become active in promoting itself. There are several groups out doing it now, such as Iola Industries, the Chamber of Commerce and CITF (Community Involvement Task Force). However, in these tough times, that may not be enough. Even with tight budgets, recruiting employers needs to be a high priority. Tough decisions will have to be made, but if we don’t stop the population exodus the budget will only get even tighter. I also believe that we have to take a serious look at how we manage our natural resources. It is easy to throw things away when we have a new landfill that doesn’t charge us to dump. But it will fill up, we will be expanding again. I have been told that recycling is too expensive, but I think we can find a way to make it work. And, our citizens want to recycle.
One program I think Iola should consider is a homeowner training and information program that provides new homeowners with a better understanding of not only what home maintenance repairs and expenses they should expect, but also how much the statement “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” holds true for their homes. We need to encourage everyone that good property upkeep will not only help their property to maintain or grow in value, but also is a responsibility of all citizens to their neighbors.
Beverly Franklin — Iola does a good job of providing services, but like most things there may be room for improvement and efficiency.
Melinda Luttrell — None. I’d like to see more community involvement in solving our problems than the city government.
Are there challenges facing your ward unlike those facing the city as a whole?
Joel Wicoff — Being in the northeast quadrant of town, our ward has not had to deal with the same issues that the flood created in south Iola. However, with much of south Iola now in a flood plain, the city has and will continue to grow north. We need to be sure that the existing infrastructure, utilities, sewer, water and roads are capable of handling growth. Recreational places such as parks need to be part of our master plan, even if we can’t afford to build them now. Expanding the rail trail all the way to the park is one way that we can provide a safe path for our citizens to reach recreational and leisure opportunities at Riverside Park, even from the other end of town. We also may have the new hospital in our ward as well, and we need to be sure that our roads and utilities for the hospital are sufficient for the new hospital as well as future growth.
Beverly Franklin — Ward 2 is in adequate shape. Several areas have newer housing developments. Housing in Ward 2 was not affected by the flood of 2007.
Melinda Luttrell — None.
Dana Moodie — Again, I do not see a challenge. I see an opportunity. I see an opportunity to improve the quality of life in the Second Ward and the city by the building of the proposed new Allen County Hospital. Hopefully, this will attract quality businesses, create more jobs, and provide a boost to local spending, thus creating a positive outcome for Iola, Allen County and the state of Kansas.
Do you see a need for better facilities/infrastructure/services for your ward? If so, which?
Beverly Franklin — No. Presently I’m not aware of any projects in Ward 2 that need attention. However, there may be other areas of the city that need attention.
Melinda Luttrell — Some mentioned better snow removal, safer walking and more playground areas for children to play.
Dana Moodie — There can always be room for improvement to strive to be better and to do better. That ability is what makes Iola a great place to live, to work, and to thrive. Streets and bridges will need to be resurfaced and/or replaced as time goes forward. That is just the nature of things. The same holds true for Iola’s physical plants. As city administrators, we need to be astute enough to realize this has to be done within the budget we have, not the budget we think we have and not the budget we’d like to have. We also need to be looking not just at the here and now but 20, 30, 50 years down the road. The future of the infrastructure is the future of Iola.
Joel Wicoff — While I was going door to door on my campaign, I talked with a retired gentleman who asked me if I could get the large potholes in the street next to his house fixed if I was elected. I am sure that he thinks about them every time he drives home. It is important that we address problems such as these, and give our citizens some satisfaction for their tax dollars.
Are there services the city offers that you would like to see removed, changed or handled by the private sector? If so, what?
Melinda Luttrell — I am not aware of any needs at this time.
Dana Moodie — Right now the city offers a gamut of services that helps maintain the quality of life that its residents expect. This is not done with the idea of generating a profit. The municipality belongs to the people which it serves. Privatization takes that out of the hands of the people and places it with a few corporate heads who are more concerned with the bottom line (i.e. generating a profit) than the needs of the residents of the municipality. To put it bluntly, “if it isn’t broke …why try to fix it?”
Joel Wicoff — I don’t have any specific thoughts on privatization of any city services at this time. However, I believe that the city, like a business, should continually evaluate how we can squeeze the most out of every tax dollar we collect. The economy will improve. Everyone has a different opinion on when this might happen, but we can’t mortgage our future by continuing to pass tax increases off to the next generation. That either means we have to raise taxes, cut services, or be more creative and frugal with what we have. I think the solution probably lies in a little of each.
Beverly Franklin — If there were services that could be handled by private sector that would save the city funds, I would be for it. Currently, I would need to know more about city expenses.
For years, Iola’s general operating budget has been supplemented with utility reserves to avoid property tax hikes. Do you support continuing the practice? What if doing away with the transfers could result in lower utility bills? What is your opinion of a higher property tax levy?
Beverly Franklin — I believe the new city council should study the budget and consider other alternatives besides using funds from utility reserves. Supplementing projects from the utility fund has been a concern of mine. I do not support this practice. As to other alternatives, I can’t give a qualified answer until I’m aware of all the facts. However, I do think a utility task force committee, or an advisory board for maintenance of the utility system would be wise. I would like to see utilities studies for both short and long term, and have a plan in place for them. I believe that would be helpful. Raising the tax levy is not a high priority for me.
Melinda Luttrell — a. No. b. I would support this. c. It would decrease our population base and business growth.
Dana Moodie — As I understand it, there has not been a raise in the mill levy for eight years. At this point, the supplement seems to be working, and I would support continuing this practice. Having lived in some of the larger cities of Kansas, Iola’s utility rates are not out of line. I would have to see the hard numbers over a significant period of time in order to make an informed decision that doing away with the transfers will provide any benefit to the quality of life by simply lowering utility bills. At this time, I would not support a higher mill levy. However if the possibility of significant interruption of services were to manifest itself due to unforeseen circumstances, then other avenues of revenue may need to be pursued.
Joel Wicoff — Simply put, hard times require difficult decisions. We have done as a city what needed to be done to maintain cash flow. It is what is being done in cities, school districts, and states across the U.S. But after a certain point, we have to stop robbing Peter to pay Paul. We are going to have to live within our means. That either means we have to cut services, raise taxes or increase the size of our tax base. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t rather increase the number of taxable units than raise taxes, which is why recruitment is such an important issue. It doesn’t have to be just industries coming in to town. My current business works across the United States and abroad, right here from Iola. Thanks to the Internet and UPS, we can do that. We moved back to Iola because of a desire to raise our family in a small town. When the opportunity came up to move back to where my wife’s family lives, it was a perfect match. We need to find others in similar circumstances and have a well thought out program of “convincing” to get them to see the uniqueness of Iola as well. That’s another way to broaden the tax base.
Do you favor offering tax abatements or other incentives for new businesses or homeowners to build anew or remodel their properties? Should more incentives be offered? Less? Why?
Melinda Luttrell — We currently have a neighborhood revitalization plan. When I asked about it, I understand about 12 people have used this plan. For business, the tax abatement is currently used by three businesses, in the last 10 years. It has its requirements set by state law that the city can follow, if necessary, to attract new businesses.
Dana Moodie — Absolutely! I’m not saying we have to give away the farm, but in order to attract quality businesses we will have to give away a goat, a pig and a couple of chickens. What we could possibly lose in business taxes in the short run can be made up by increases in work force employment and local spending. Older established businesses may not like this idea at first. But in the long run the increased local spending will provide more profits to them and allow more long term growth for them. We need to look to the future not just the here and now. Sure Haldex is vacant and that’s not a good thing. However, we need to attract a quality business to fill that space. Not just the first one that shows an interest. Whatever business we attract must be willing to make a commitment to us as well. The business should be willing to do everything it can to be a good fit for the community beyond just paying a salary. We do not want a business to come in, outsource everything in a few years and leave us holding the bag on an ecological disaster. My idea for filling the Haldex space is looking for a small American owned business looking to expand. After all, we are building a new Allen County Hospital. How about looking for a medical instrument manufacturer or medical supply warehouse?
Joel Wicoff — Thanks to a job opportunity with Mark Burris at Precision Pump, we were able to make the move to Iola. We were surprised somewhat that the taxes on our vehicles and other personal property went up significantly. At the same time the services that we received and were offered as citizens went down. Larger cities with a larger tax base or cities lucky enough to have facilities like power plants or large factories can have lower taxes and offer more services. As property values level out across the state, we are going to have to offer incentives to get businesses to locate in Iola. We need to promote these same opportunities and tax incentives to local entrepreneurs as well.
As far as tax abatements for personal homes, I know that these abatements make home ownership more affordable. Eventually, the taxes go back up and people do have a larger tax bill. The burden of paperwork, application fees, and oversight from the city on such small abatements may not be as valuable to the individual as if the funds were shifted somewhere else. These abatements and their potential benefits do warrant discussion.
Beverly Franklin — Yes, I am for tax abatements and other incentives for new business to build a new, or remodel their existing properties as needed. More incentives should be offered. It is better to forgo taxes and have homeowners or businesses pay city utilities, thus improving the community. After the expiration time, the business or homeowners will be paying taxes for many years.
Do you favor using city resources to seek state or federal grants or earmarks?
Dana Moodie — Yes, I do. However, I do not advocate grants and earmarks in lieu of being fiscally responsible. Grants should augment capital not be the source of capital. There is no such thing as free money. Grants and earmarks are still tax dollars and we need to be good stewards of the people’s money.
Joel Wicoff — My wife says when she gets a coupon for a brand name item for buy one get one free or 50 cents off, it is very tempting to buy that item, even if it is still more than the generic or not something we usually buy. When we are talking about matching grants, we have to be careful that whatever we build or buy with earmarks is something that the city needs or enhances the city and fits into our master plan. Those tax dollars come from many real people who labor for several weeks or months a year to fulfill our tax burden to Uncle Sam. If and when we have a legitimate need, we need to be ready to apply for grants and ask for help from the federal government on such projects. I don’t have a problem with grants or earmarks that fill real needs in communities across the U.S., so long as they are distributed honestly, equitably and transparently. I feel we should debate, as a council, the value of a full-time professional in a dedicated position in economic development and grant-writing.
Beverly Franklin — I favor using city resources to seek state and federal grants, or earmarked funds. We have several excellent grant writers in the area who could possibly be hired as needed. I think it would be great to have the city and county combine and collaborate their efforts in this area.
Melinda Luttrell — I understand we currently have a grant the city has funded, so we need to discuss how to implement this program before addressing any new grants. It does concern me seeking any state and federal government grants, as they are already in a large deficit.
The city and Allen County continue to operate two fully staffed ambulance departments within blocks of each other. Do you support seeing consolidated ambulance service for all of Allen County? What if the consolidated service resulted in losing Iola’s full-time fire department in lieu of a volunteer force? Do you favor the current agreement?
Joel Wicoff — As a citizen of Iola, I think our city commissioners served us well by insisting that we have a fully staffed ambulance department in Iola. I don’t believe that consolidation of these services is an impossible road to travel. I think that Iola needs to retain a full-time professional fire department. What factory would want to locate to Iola without a full-time fire department? It makes sense to cross train fire department and EMS employees as much as possible to meet the needs of our citizens in emergencies.
Beverly Franklin — I would support seeing a consolidated ambulance service for all of Allen County. I do not favor the current agreement. I would not be in favor of losing our fire department.
Melinda Luttrell — I would like to get more information before making this decision.
Dana Moodie — The whole ambulance issue is a hot button topic. In my opinion, the city and Allen County should be able to work together in solidarity to resolve this issue. No one wants to see our highly trained, motivated and professional full time fire department go to a volunteer force. As I understand it, there is a statutory requirement for the county to maintain an ambulance service. However, there does not seem to be a requirement how that is done. There is no articulable reason why a compromise cannot be reached between city and county thus creating a positive outcome for all residents of Allen County. If the county commissioners do not want to work with the new city council on this issue and resolve it once and for all, then maybe it’s time for some new county commissioners.
Please list any comments you would like to offer that have not yet been addressed in this paper.
Beverly Franklin — I believe the city and county should consider an economic development position. With the city and county’s combined efforts and support, there could be a stronger possibility of increased industry and business opportunities that would provide new jobs for Iola, and all of Allen County. I believe my experience in business would be an assist to the council. I was a bank officer for many years, working as a mortgage lender and marketing, as well as overseeing a welcoming group for new residents in Iola. The last 10 years I have been a partner in B & J Homes with my daughter Jackie. We have built 10 homes in the Iola area.
Melinda Luttrell — Many residents mentioned they would like another grocery store and downtown cafe/diner.
Dana Moodie — In these times it is necessary to have a strong, steady hand on the wheel. Someone who understands the community, sees the chance to improve the quality services already provided and be a positive role model for others in the community. This can be achieved through firm but fair leadership with an emphasis on positive outcomes whenever possible. I want to partner with the community to see Vision Iola to fruition; I would like to be a part of that progress and help achieve the goals of Vision Iola. I have proven myself worthy of the opportunity to serve the residents of Iola by my dedication and leadership in service to my country, my state and my community. For those of you old enough to remember John, John once made a speech that is now famous. I am going to use a little poetic license with some of his now famous words not in any way to demean those words but to use them to make my point… “And so my fellow Iolans, ask not what your city can do for you, ask what you can do for your city.”
Joel Wicoff — My candidacy for city council is simply an offer to serve. For those in Ward 2 that I don’t yet know personally, my philosophy is pretty simple. Try to do the right thing, even when it is hard. In addition to a heart for people, God gave me a brain and a backbone, and I assume it will take some of all three to be a positive attribute to the city council. While a lot of decisions in a business come down to numbers and the bottom line, when you live and work in a community as connected as Iola is, it doesn’t take long to see past the numbers to the individual people, families and businesses that are affected by the decisions our new city council will make.
