MORAN — Moran council members put together an enabling plan Monday night so residents may provide parking space for recreational vehicles brought to the area by highway and pipeline construction workers. IOLA ADMINISTRATOR Carl Slaugh assured council members Moran would have the same ambulance service it has had under Allen County’s control when Iola takes the reins on Jan. 1. OTHERWISE, council members:
Before a temporary vehicle may locate and hook into local utilities, the property owner must pay a $50 fee for the city to send certified letters to neighbors living with 100 feet of the property. Then, a hearing will be held at the council’s Dec. 2 meeting to give anyone opposed a chance to have their say.
After the hearing, council members will decide whether RVs will be permitted. Next up, the property owner must pay a $30 fee for each RV, and make any physical arrangements such as access and utilities connections.
Discussions about allowing the RVs to locate in Moran has been a council topic since late summer.
Spokespersons for Enbridge, the company having a crude oil pipeline constructed from Flanagan, Ill., through the area en route to Cushing, Okla., have said the project likely would be completed by mid-summer of 2014. Work on U.S. 54, from Iola to LaHarpe, also will wind down sometime in mid to late 2014.
Gas, Iola and LaHarpe are home to many of the construction workers’ RVs, and having workers live in or near towns has increased utility sales and tax collections through local businesses.
Councilman Jerry Wallis argued that a full-blown ordinance initially handed out was “going to make it so restrictive no one will come here.”
He wants to make space for three RVs on his property. Several others have expressed interest, but no concrete efforts have been made in lieu of council members deciding requirements.
Mayor Phil Merkel finally prodded council members to action, after an hour’s discussion, tabling of the issue and then its revival later in the meeting.
Councilman Jerry Jackman wondered at one point why “are we looking into it. Why not just leave it up to the property owner,” he said.
Because, Merkel said, neighbors have concerns about what is next to them and should have a say, which hearings, Dec. 2 or further down the line, will provide.
He handed out copies of the merger agreement between Iola and the county and noted that 12 of 15 county employees had agreed to transfer to the city.
Operation will cost $850,000 to $950,000, with the county guaranteeing $750,000 from run revenue, he said.
While Iola’s costs will increase, “it will be a net savings to the county as a whole,” Slaugh said.
Slaugh said he would return to a Moran council meeting later to discuss arrangements for housing an ambulance in Moran. Advantage to Moran is that if the city wanted to strike out on its own, cost to maintain an ambulance and two-person crew would cost about $250,000 a year, he said.
In response to a question, Slaugh said Iola would continue type 1 service, with a paramedic on board each ambulance, and have two units stationed in Iola and one each in Moran and Humboldt. All employees will be trained as firefighters in addition to having medical responsibilities, but that wouldn’t mean those stationed in Moran would have any local firefighting responsibilities.
In regard to firefighting, response to fires on the east side of the county may be due an administrative change.
Moran and Marmaton and Osage townships volunteer departments are on the cusp of merging, with the outcome possible savings in insurance and other costs, as well as having equipment available.
Councilman Jim Miller and Merkel, also Moran fire chief, were appointed to a committee that also will have representatives of the township departments and will explore consolidation and management ramifications.
Heim proposed the committee approach, with its decision then going before the council and township boards for approval.
— Agreed to help the Moran Ball Association erect a net behind home plate of the field in Moran’s park. The net will extend to a height of 28 feet and should intercept most foul balls. Councilman Bill Bigelow, also involved with the ball association, said the association would bear all costs.
— Put off a decision on whether to pay a $45 a month fee so residents could have utility bill payments automatically withdrawn from their bank accounts. City Clerk Lori Evans said three or four people had asked about the service. Council members recommended a sign-up sheet to determine interest. An aside would be automatic deposit of employees’ pay checks.
— Following a 15-minute executive session, council members said they would put off until Dec. 2 decisions on pay raises and benefits.
RVs given space in city limits
