Iola Commissioners listened and learned about — then delayed deciding on — a set of topics at Tuesday evening’s meeting.
Judy Brigham’s position as city administrator has a chance of surviving if a motion by Bill Maness to reinstate her gets a second nod by either commissioners Bill Shirley or Craig Abbott.
Maness initiated the motion, he said, after he learned from the Kansas League of Municipalities that the position of city administrator could be retained when the switch from a commission to a council occurs come April 18.
Commissioners earlier extended Brigham’s position to March 31, six months shy of her planned retirement. The dismissal leaves the city without any leadership when the new council is seated.
It also robs Brigham of any city or state retirement benefits which would have been granted to her when she hit the 32-year milestone come September.
Neither Shirley nor Abbott supported Maness’ motion, rather Shirley requested the motion be tabled so he could seek additional advice from City Attorney Chuck Apt.
JOE HURLA of 360 Energy Solutions presented the city with a plan for saving energy and about $10,000 per year throughout the city’s buildings.
The savings could be realized by exchanging regular thermostats for programmable ones and trading out old lighting — especially in the Recreation Community Building — for more efficient types.
“We’ve been working on this project the past nine months, but it really goes back a few years … to an energy audit done on city buildings,” Hurla told commissioners.
“At that time,” he said, “the energy savings weren’t really enough to drive the project and we recommended the city sit on it.”
Making the recommended improvements, including replacing the six existing heating and cooling systems in city hall, has a price tag of about $204,807, Hurla said.
A public projects grant would pay about $122,884, leaving the city’s price tag at $81,923.
The work would address heating, cooling and lighting issues
at five city properties: the North Community Building, Iola Public Library, Iola City Hall, Iola City Warehouse and Recreation Community Building.
Work on all five buildings was included in the cost estimates. Dale’s Sheet Metal, Iola, would be contracted for the heating and cooling work, Hurla said.
Commissioners, however, balked at the suggestion that a thermostate programmed over the Internet was needed. It was agreed more discussion was needed to discern whether regular programmable thermostats, which cost about half as much as the Internet programmable ones, would suffice for the city’s buildings.
Maness tabled the decision, “so we can look it over,” he said, noting “a lot of what’s been presented are maintenance projects that need to be done (anyway). But the thermostat thing — around here it’s a not a big deal” to set thermostats manually.
Also put on hold was a decision whether to enter into a contract with developer Tom Carlson that would have him bring up to 30 new homes, built by the Kansas Department of Corrections, into Iola for placement on vacant lots, including those near Carlson’s River Valley Homes development adjacent to Cedarbrook Golf Course.
Carlson proposes to purchase the three-bedroom, two-bath modular homes from KDOC for $53,000 each, according to documents given commissioners. He would then add foundation, driveway, garage and a $15,000 markup, and sell the homes to Iolans for $100,000 apiece. He hopes to purchase city-owned lots on which to place the homes, especially those near Cedarbrook, for $5,000 each, according to the document.
Lots in the River Valley development had been sold to Carlson previously for $7,500 each, a number still bandied about by the commission and Brigham in discussing the proposal.
Should the houses not sell within six months, Carlson asked the city to either purchase the homes from him, give him the lots for free, or agree to not tax the homes for five years.
Carlson had told Brigham that the length of time between putting up and selling the homes would be two years, she said. There is reference to rental income covering monthly payments in the proposed contract.
While Commissioner Shirley and Mayor Maness both voiced support for the project, Commissioner Abbot noted the abundance of homes currently for sale in Iola and wondered, given the current economy, if it was wise for the city to agree to what could potentially be a $3 million obligation should Carlson not sell the homes.
ACTION WAS TAKEN on a number of items, including officially agreeing to pledge a quarter cent of the city’s collected sales tax to the new Allen County Hospital project.
Also OK’d was allowing use of the Recreation Community Building for a craft fair and fundraiser on April 6 by the Pregnancy Resource Center.
Also set was the date for the Charlie Melvin Mad Bomber Run For You Life, July 8-9.
City retirees were alerted that their monthly payment to the city’s health plan is due on the first of each month, not the last day of the month, as previously had been allowed.
Thrive Allen County gave the city official notice it will vacate its offices in the city-owned building at 2 E. Jackson Ave. on March 17 in favor of increased space in the Rockin’ B building, 12 W. Jackson, currently being remodeled. The new location is owned by Iola pharmacist Nich Lohman.
No plan has been made for use of the city space, which Thrive had rented for $400 per month.
Six potential city council members, Melinda Luttrell, Ward 2, Jim Kilby, Ward 3, Nancy Ford, Ward 1, Steffen Centlivre, Ward 1, Don Becker, Ward 3, and Dana Moody, Ward 2, also attended the public meeting. Mayoral candidate John Smith was also present.
