There was still room for a spirited debate Monday, in an Iola City Council meeting that wasnt.
With only four Council members on hand three others were unavailable because of work commitments, and another was sick there was not enough for a quorum for what would have been their regular meeting Monday.
And without a quorum, theres no meeting, officially.
That left the four remaining members Ron Ballard, Nancy Ford, Mark Peters and Kim Peterson with little more to do than discuss informational items, or to bring up topics theyd like to see addressed.
Ford took the opportunity to ask about mosquitoes.
As part of their budget-cutting discussions last summer, Council members voted, 6-2, to eliminate mosquito spraying, which cost an estimated $20,000 annually. Ford was one of those who opposed the cost-cutting measure.
With an untold number of pools, ponds, ditches and other bodies of stagnant water, Ford asked if Iola has a plan in place to treat for mosquitoes.
The question kicked off a brief, but spirited debate, about the effectiveness of mosquito spraying.
Mayor Jon Wells noted the city treats bodies of water on public rights-of-way with larvicide bricks but does not do so on private property.
Can we enforce it on property owners? Ford asked. Is that something were going to be able to enforce? Otherwise, were not going to be able to go outside.
Ballard noted the mosquito spraying talks came when Council members first broached the idea of cutting spending. However, many of their other proposed budget cuts failed to materialize.
If this is the path were going to continue to go down, I wouldnt be opposed to resuming the spraying, Ballard said, calling the $20,000 expenditure a drop in the bucket of the citys budget.
I agree completely, Ford added. That was why I was so thoroughly against getting rid of this one nice thing that we do to our city.
The comment caught Wellss ire.
Im going to object strongly to one nice thing, Wells said.
