Two Iolans living in the city’s Ward 2, including former mayor and city councilman Joel Wicoff, have expressed an interest in filling a vacancy on the Iola Council created by Max Grundy’s resignation earlier this month.
Iolan Chi Wiggin also has reached out to city officials about the vacancy, Iola City Administrator Matt Rehder told the Register.
The vacancy will be discussed at Monday’s 6 p.m. Council meeting in the New Community Building at Riverside Park.
“This probably isn’t a bad time for a new member to jump in,” Rehder said, noting the city is nearly finished preparing its 2027 budget.
“We spend about six to seven months at the staff level, and another three to four months with the Council getting the budget together, and then we cram all of that information into a six-week span,” Rehder said. “For a newcomer, those numbers can be overwhelming, like trying to sip water through a fire hose.”
BUT THERE ARE a few suggestions Rehder offers for anyone considering the position.
“Keep an open mind,” he said. “Nowadays, you can’t believe everything you hear or read.
“The City of Iola is an incredibly complex organization,” he continued, noting Iola differs from similar-sized communities because it owns all of its utility services. “We do a helluva lot around here, with a lot going on.
“I don’t want our elected officials to feel like they need to be experts on everything the city does,” Rehder said. “That’s why we have staff and department heads who work as experts in those capacities, so we can trust their judgment.”
Rehder also noted a handful of Iolans outside Ward 2 had inquired about the vacancy, but they will not be considered.
Iola’s second ward covers much of the northeast quadrant of town, bordering Cottonwood Street to the west. Its southern border zig-zags along Carpenter, Second, Douglas, Kentucky and East streets. (See attached map).
Anyone living in that ward and interested in the position is invited to attend Monday’s meeting, although Rehder encouraged them to contact City Hall or Mayor Steve French in advance.
SPEAKING of the budget, department heads whose budgets are funded primarily by the general fund (library, clerk/utility office, police, fire/EMS, street, sanitation, parks and cemetery, administration and code enforcement) will speak about their respective budgetary needs and priorities Monday.
Additionally, Allen County Appraiser Danielle Louk will be on hand for a presentation on property taxes, and how a governing body’s mill levy determines how much a property owner must pay to fund the budget.
ALSO on Monday’s agenda, Council members will be asked to approve the formal condemnation of a house destroyed by a fire May 7 at 302 East St.
In his notes to the Council, Code Enforcement Officer Gregg Hutton said the city has fielded complaints of people entering the structure, as well as debris occasionally blowing charred remains into neighboring properties.
