For the first time in its five-year history, the Iola City Council failed to meet because too many members were absent.
When only four councilmen arrived for Monday’s planned meeting — Donald Becker, Nancy Ford, Beverly Franklin and Jon Wells — that left them one short of the required five to officially start the meeting.
“We cannot conduct any official business or meetings,” Becker noted, “so we have to adjourn.”
The announcement came in front of an audience of about 20, there because of Monday’s packed agenda.
Among the topics listed for discussion were how meetings on Iola’s economic development incentives may or may not conform to Kansas’ open meetings laws; the city’s cold weather rule policies for past-due utility accounts; mill and overlay projects for 2016; the city’s recent sewer line projects; community improvement projects; a request for a beer garden at Riverside Park for the Portland Alley Pedalfest in September; and recognizing donors who contributed to buy water for the Elm Creek Community Garden.
“I apologize to every one of you who has taken time out of your Monday and come here with things to say,” Wells told the audience. “But we can’t do anything about that.”
Not having enough members, Wells said, “is a sad state of our government.”
Absent were Council members Bob Shaughnessy, Austin Sigg, Sandy Zornes and Aaron Franklin. Mayor Joel Wicoff also was absent.
Wells asked for a special meeting for 6 p.m. next Monday, at a location to be determined.
That’s because of pending personnel issues that need to be made promptly, as well as the mill-and-overlay approval.
“And I think we have some economic development” topics in need of discussion, he said.
PERHAPS most noteworthy was the item taken off of Monday’s agenda — the city’s economic development contract with Thrive Allen County.
Since Jan. 1, Thrive has been without a contract with the city. The agency has contracts with Allen County and Iola Industries, but the contract with the city has expired.
The contract was pulled from the agenda at Monday’s meeting.
Also Monday, a letter from G&W Foods was sent to the city and county commissioners expressing concern about the city’s economic development contract with Thrive.
