Annexation main topic of commission meeting

Iola Planning Commission members met Wednesday night to discuss the annexation of Country Estates, as well as approval of a new home on Tennessee Street.
The general consensus was that more information was needed before any decision could be made on whether to annex the Country Estates subdivision, at the northwest edge of Iola, into the city limits.
City Administrator Carl Slaugh said the city must weigh the costs and benefits of making such a move, from the perspective of the city, its citizens and the residents of Country Estates.
“There are probably more than a few things in question, we would look at every city service,” Slaugh said. “We want to grow as a city.”
Commission member Jerod Kelley noted residents in the proposed annexation area already receive most services from the city, and would be reluctant to pay taxes on something they are receiving for free.
“I would be interested to see if we could get our money back through tax revenue,” Kelley said.
Slaugh said subdivisions are oftentimes built outside of city limits in order to avoid constructing the houses with a city’s building codes in mind. Therefore, many of the houses are not up to code, and would need repairs along with the streets and sidewalks.
Before the discussion was tabled by the commission to gather more information, the commission expressed their reluctance to pursue the matter — Slaugh said the process can sometimes be an unpleasant one.
“I have yet to find any property owners that like this process,” Slaugh said.

HOMEOWNERS on 209 South Tennessee are requesting permission from the commission to move in a modular home to replace the two trailers that currently occupy the premises.
A motion was made and passed by the commission to allow a home to be moved in, with the stipulation that the trailers must be moved off of the property and the lot must be cleaned of any trash and debris.
Commission member Fred Apt said he fears that the trailers, which are in a state of disrepair, would remain on the property once the modular home had been moved in.
The homeowners must meet before the zoning board before being approved, and the motion passed was a recommendation for the board’s decision.