IOLA, Kan. — On Monday, the Iola City Council gave final approval to revisions to the transient vendor ordinance. The changes, which were suggested by Council member Joelle Shallah last year, clarify what is considered a local resident for fee purposes. A local resident is defined as a person living in the city limits of Iola and having any trailers or such registered in Allen County with an Iola mailing address.
The revisions also include an increase in application fees from $10 to $30 reflecting what the city has to pay the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for background checks required for applicants. This is part of the overall license fee.
The Council agreed to provide letters of support on behalf of two grants Thrive Allen County is seeking. One is a “Paving the Way – Trail Towns” grant that would assist with trail maintenance and marketing through the Sunflower Foundation.
The other grant is a SIGNS (Supporting Innovative Growth Through New Signage) grant through Kansas Commerce that would assist three to five downtown businesses in appropriate and visible signage for the exterior of their businesses.
In an annual report to the Council, Iola Police Chief Jared Warner said the Police Department did not receive any state seizure or drug tax stamp funds for 2025, but both funds still have healthy balances. They did receive $571 in interest income from the seizure fund and a like amount of drug tax stamp fund interest. Combined, the two funds had a year-end balance of just under $30,000.
During the meeting the Council also approved the appointment of Terri Fahnestock to the Library Board.
