As the city continues to plan for its next governing body, a five-member city commission, Iola Commissioner Craig Abbott wondered if what’s good for the city would also benefit Allen County.
“I cannot understand why the citizens of Iola think that as many as five to nine people are needed to operate the city, but continue to think that three are enough to operate the county,” Abbott said at Tuesday’s City Commission meeting.
It should be noted that Abbott has been an advocate of keeping a three-member city commission in place at the city level. But he also recognized that voters have spoken, twice, in favor of a larger governing body.
Iola voters, in April 2009, voted to disband the existing three-member city commission, then last month endorsed seating a five-member commission in April 2011.
The existing commissioners, with that recommendation, directed City Attorney Chuck Apt to set up a series of charter ordinances necessary to seat the five-member commission.
Mayor Bill Maness said his views on the county’s governance did not vary from his views at the city level in that a three-member commission was too small. Getting only two commissioners to agree on an issue is too small of a threshold, he said.
“That’s certainly not to disrespect the county,” Maness said. “I think the public is better served with more representation (through a larger governing body).”
Iolan suggests county commission grow, too
