Mosquito spraying will resume in the south part of Iola.
City Council members approved the spraying at their meeting Monday night.
The spraying had been stopped in mid-July after an extended hot, dry period essentially did away with the mosquito population.
However, the return of more moderate temperatures and seasonal rains have made the flying pests a bit more noticeable.
Because the problem seems to be more prevalent in south Iola, spraying will be done only there, council members declared.
The resumption came despite City Administrator Carl Slaugh’s recommendation that mosquito spraying be discontinued altogether.
Slaugh called the spraying expensive and “ineffective.” He favored seeing the city take other steps, such as setting out pesticide cubes in standing water, which he said more efficiently kills mosquitoes and their larvae.
The vote to resume the spraying passed 6-2, with councilmen Joel Wicoff and Don Becker opposed.
THE CITY WILL not take over control of an energy efficiency program being discontinued by the state.
As many as 45 Iolans had signed up for energy audits through the state program to determine whether their homes could be made more efficient, then take out a no-interest loan funded by the state. The loans would be repaid with savings in utility bills.
Four had completed subsequent upgrades, with another five having upgrades done currently. However, the state has pulled the funding from the program, diverting the money to other “green” energy programs.
Council members had considered taking over the program to give other Iolans an opportunity for the upgrades.
However, Slaugh said he would recommend the city “stay out” of the banking business, and instead encourage the property owners to take their energy audits to their respective banks or financiers to secure funding privately.
The vote to discontinue the program altogether passed 7-1, Scott Stewart opposed.
COUNCIL MEMBERS were cool to a proposal from the Kansas Power Pool that Iola extend its commitment to the power pool in order for KPP to purchase a share of a Kansas City, Mo.,-area power plant.
The city has been a part of KPP since ending its decades-long wholesale electricity purchasing agreement with Westar in 2008. The power pool is a consortium of more than 30 municipalities, including Iola, that acts as a single customer in purchasing electricity.
The consortium hopes to buy a 7 percent share of the Dogwood Energy Facility in Pleasant Hill, Mo., which would be in production during times of peak demand in the summer months.
In order to secure financing, KPP must secure longer commitments from its participating municipalities, including Iola.
Council members cited a number of concerns, including the 20-year commitment.
“It doesn’t make good business sense,” Councilman Kendall Callahan said.
“There are a lot of questions still out there,” Scott Shreve, Iola’s energy consultant, agreed.
THE CITY WILL keep on hand Jake Lawrence, the city’s fitness coordinator, even though his position will no longer be funded equally by SAFE BASE, USD 257’s after-school program.
Lawrence’s position was created a year ago with the city and SAFE BASE splitting the salary costs 50-50.
But when SAFE BASE received its grant to continue for the upcoming school year, it did not receive enough funding to pay its full share.
Rather, SAFE BASE now can spend what equates to about 12 percent of Lawrence’s projected $39,000 salary, including benefits.
Recreation Coordinator Luke Bycroft spoke in favor in keeping Lawrence, lauding his work in overseeing a number of fitness programs already in existence, plus ones he has helped introduce. Having Lawrence on staff has allowed Bycroft and Program Director Brad Yoder to focus on other recreational activities for adults and youths as well.
Having Lawrence on staff has allowed the Recreation Department to continue to grow and develop, Bycroft said, which was the former City Commission’s vision when it voted to expand the department in 2008.
The council’s vote to keep the position in place was unanimous.
THE COUNCIL approved a $17,000 contract with J & J Contractors to do repairs to the Douglas Street bridge spanning Coon Creek. The bridge has been closed the past several weeks because of deteriorating piers. The council agreed previously to have the bridge repaired instead of demolished.
