It may not happen as soon as Mayor Bill Maness would like, but Iola commissioners will begin meeting in the evenings.
Maness said at Tuesday’s Iola City Commission meeting that he would propose at the start of every subsequent meeting between now and April — when a new city council is seated — that meetings immediately be re-adjourned to that evening in order to allow more citizens to attend.
The unusual decree came about after commissioners were told that simply changing the planned meeting times was not as easy at it sounds.
That’s because the city has a charter ordinance dictating that commission meetings be held at 1 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. To continue meeting state law, Maness said the meetings must convene, then be adjourned until that evening.
City Clerk Roxanne Hutton pointed out commissioners could not override the existing charter ordinance with another because there is not enough time left in election the year to do so. The city must provide at least 60 days for any proposed ordinance to be challenged.
Commissioner Bill Shirley agreed with Maness’ idea, but suggested waiting until December to implement the evening schedule because fellow Commissioner Craig Abbott would be unable to attend a 6 p.m. Nov. 23 meeting.
“I have no problem with it,” Abbott added, “but there would be some meetings I’d be unable to attend.”
Maness was undeterred.
“We don’t have that many meetings left between now and April, and we need to give the public as many opportunities as possible to see how local government functions.”
A new eight-member council will be seated in April, thanks to the voters’ rejection Nov. 2 of a charter ordinance that would have put in place a five-member commission.
The new council will feature two representatives from each of Iola’s four voting wards. A mayor will be elected at large.
City Clerk Roxanne Hutton said the filing deadline to serve on the new council is Jan. 25. Residents cannot yet file because the city has yet to publish a legal notice about the vacant seats. Hutton said such a notice would be provided “soon.”
Maness also said Iolans should be aware of the city’s redrawn boundaries separating the four wards. (A graphic detailing the new boundaries is forthcoming.)
Commissioners said they were unsure whether incoming city councilmen would be paid for their service.
Currently, the mayor receives $300 and commissioners $275 each per month.
At those same rates, a mayor and eight-member council would cost the city $30,000 a year.
Commissioners asked City Attorney Chuck Apt to look into state laws affecting default city councils to determine if the incoming members needed to be paid or would serve voluntarily.
In Humboldt, which has had an eight-member council for many decades, council members serve voluntarily while the mayor is provided with a stipend of $131.32 per month plus $10 per meeting.
City ponders night meetings
