Iola’s newly seated City Council members will hit the ground running once they’re sworn in Monday.
Newcomers Doug Kerr and Jeremiah Ivy will be joined by Mark Peters — who previously served on the Council — as they take the oath of office at the onset of Monday’s 6 p.m. meeting at the New Community Building in Riverside Park.
Outgoing Councilmen Joel Wicoff, Benedikt Middleton and Josiah D’Albini will be recognized as well.
From there, discussions on a planned rebuild of U.S. 54 throughout Iola will take center stage.
In his notes to the Council, Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock said he expects the construction portion of the work to begin around April or May. He expected the rebuild to extend until the fall of 2027, although the timeline will be firmed up once a contract is awarded, likely in April.
Meetings began this week to discuss the water line piece of the project, while the city will begin a social media campaign to detail the rebuild’s plans starting next week.
The project’s funding will be discussed at length at the Council’s Jan. 26 meeting.
AT MONDAY’S meeting, Council members also will discuss a proposal to increase the city’s transient vendor license applications from $10 to $30. The higher fee is necessary to cover the costs for background checks for the applicants, City Administrator Matt Rehder explained in his notes to the Council.
Council members also will discuss proposals to condemn properties at 302 S. Kentucky St., 415 N. Elm St., 506 E. Lincoln St. and 626 N. Colborn St.
The public is invited.
