In a meeting that took all of 20 minutes with three members absent, the Iola City Council Monday night approved providing up to 50 dollars a month for electric costs for Allen County Recycling for the last half of 2026.
There was some concern raised within the Council about whether this request duplicates what Allen County is working on regarding recycling. It was noted the county’s plan is still under development. As we have previously reported, the City Council has approved purchase of a roll-off or semi-trailer for cardboard collection to be placed on a lot next to the EMS Station.
The Council also approved the notice to award to the Kansas Department of Transportation for the US 54 reconstruction project. Last month, KDOT awarded the project to Bettis Asphalt and Construction of Topeka, which submitted a bid of $12,251,018. With a contingency added, the total cost of the project, which will narrow the highway from four to three lanes will come to around $12.9 million.
Federal funds are covering just over $4.2 million dollars of the cost, with the remainder being bonded by the city. The city will receive funds from the bond sale next week.
In other business, the council approved a request from the La Harpe VFW to have a boot block fundraiser and information distribution event Saturday, May 29th from 9 AM until noon at Madison and Washington, and reappointed Jacob Manbeck to the 31st Judicial District Community Corrections and Juvenile Services Advisory Board for a two year term,
The Council and Mayor Steve French expressed praise to the Iola Fire Department for their work on last week’s fire at 302 East Street, and to those who stepped up to provide food, drinks and such to the emergency responders.
Mayor French also brought up the fact when the city purchased it’s ladder truck, a number of citizens criticized then Fire Chief Wayne Sill for that purchase. Mayor French said this fire validated that purchase once again, having been used to fight a church fire a while back and enabled it to be saved, closing by saying “so keep in mind, that truck has paid off.”
