Iola’s new eight-member city council, which will be chosen in the April 5 city elections, will feature two representatives from each of the city’s four voting wards.
Today’s article focuses on Ward 3, representing the southwest quadrant of the city.
Voters will decide from among Donald Becker, Jim Kilby and Eugene Myrick. The top two vote-getters will be seated in April.
A list of questions and the candidates’ answers, appears on pages B2 and B3 of today’s Register.
What do you consider Iola’s strengths and why?
Jim Kilby — The strengths would be moderate utility rates, taxes that are within reason for the community, a strong work force base, and the city being located on two major highways.
Eugene Myrick — The junior college gives us a higher population eight months out of the year, which is an economic boost to the city, not only with the students, but through games and events that draw even more people into town. Our biggest strength is probably that Iola is at the U.S. 54-U.S. 169 crossroads. There’s a gold mine going up and down those highways. As we further develop on the east side of town, we can tap into some of that revenue. Iola should continue to work with Iola Industries and Allen County to get more businesses and industries to locate here. We should look for ways to entice people and sell the fact that the highways we have connect Iola to major cities.
Donald Becker — Iola has several strengths. Its city services are well above average for a city our size. The money that we invested in those services has been well spent. Our educational programs, from our school district to the community college, also are a benefit. Building a new hospital gives us a good base on which we can continue to build and grow. Iola also has a good, dependable work force. Our large and small businesses work well for us. Our location is a plus as well.
What do you consider the city’s biggest challenges?
Jim Kilby — Maintaining affordable utilities, city services, taxes, affordable housing and attracting business to Iola.
Eugene Myrick — Iola’s biggest challenge is finding a way to keep our young population instead of them leaving because they’re finding jobs elsewhere after they’ve gone away to college. Our schools are hurting and we’re losing a vital resource: our young population. It goes back to development. I see so many people moving from rural areas to the cities because that’s where they have the jobs. Iola has such a rich heritage, I’d hate to see a lost generation.
Donald Becker — Our biggest challenge remains to attract new businesses, large and small. With our new hospital coming in, it will help attract health care-related businesses. I’d like to see Iola get more techology-related businesses to help stabilize our population.
What would you like to see the city do or offer more of in terms of services?
Eugene Myrick — I’d like to see the city implement a recycling program. It’s all about going green and saving the planet earth. Iola doesn’t really have any type of recycling, so a majority of the people just throw everything in the trash. Recycling would extend the life of our landfill. I’d like to see services for elderly and our young people expanded.
Donald Becker — Iola has good services. I’m sure there are suggestions citizens could come up with that we could evaluate. But compared to other towns our size, we’re above them.
Jim Kilby — I’m not sure there is a service done that the city does not already offer its citizens.
Are there challenges facing your ward unlike those facing the city as a whole?
Donald Becker — There are different challenges for each ward, but as council members most of what we talk about will be for the good of the city. The southwest section of Iola now has more green space because of the flood. I could see the city doing even more cleaning up, with such things as brush removal and tree trimming, so the green space looks more like a park instead of an area they just removed a house from. Still, Iola has done a better job of cleaning properties than some other communities.
Jim Kilby — Ward 3 felt the brunt of the 2007 flood, but Ward 4 was also affected. Losing homes in Ward 3 with no chance of rebuilding in neighborhoods will be a challenge for the citizens who remain. The regulations in place that allow only certain things to be done in the green spaces will be the guideline of what takes place in the future. It leaves a large open question to be answered.
Eugene Myrick — Flooding from Elm Creek devastated us. I’ve lived in this part of the city for the past 34 years, and two times in recent memory, we’ve had to deal with flooding. We need to get the Army Corps of Engineers to resolve the problem. We’ve lost a lot of our population because of the 2007 flood.
Do you see a need for better facilities/infrastructure/services for your ward? If so, which?
Jim Kilby — To answer the question simply, No. To expand a little, one of the questions I would have of the department heads would be, what abandoned infrastructures will have to be removed, such as gas and water lines, hard surface streets that are no longer in use.
Eugene Myrick — Drainage at the south end of town needs to be improved. When it rains, water runs from curb to curb across the street.
Donald Becker — The only thing I could see — if we could afford it — would be to do more milling of streets before we chip and seal them. It seems to be better in the long run. And it’s expensive, but there are portions of the city with no curb curbs and guttering. Curbs and guttering add a lot more appeal than just a ditch would. But we’d have to look at what we could afford.
Are there services the city offers that you would like to see removed, changed or handled by the private sector? If so, what?
Eugene Myrick — The city has done a good job of maintaining the services that it offers. The city has done a good job with its recreation programs. The parks and cemetery are unique to other places. They’re very attractive. If anything, I’d like to see us have more services to get more kids involved. With the possibility of SAFE BASE closing, we should look at incorporating recreation activities for kids after school.
Donald Becker — I don’t think so, but I’d listen if people have other opinions. I’m satisfied with our city’s services.
Jim Kilby — At this time my answer would be no. Would my answer change in the future if more efficient and less costly alternatives were presented? Ask me then.
What do you think the city administrator’s duties should be?
Donald Becker — Leave the city administrator’s duties as they are now. Having a city administrator has served the city pretty well, and it’s a big job to run that many departments. It’s the most important job we have in the city staff.
Jim Kilby — The city administrator’s duties are that of running the city’s business. That would be the every day, hands-on control of what the city works do as a whole. Financial, personnel management control would also be important duties.
Eugene Myrick — Leave them alone. We should continue to have them the way they’ve been in the past. The city administrator should oversee the daily operations, especially because we could have a different mayor every four years that would have to come in, possibly blind to what’s going on. Iola’s been fortunate to keep the administrators it’s had.
What duties would you like to see the mayor assigned?
Jim Kilby — I believe the mayor’s duties should not change much from what they are at the present. The figurehead of the city, the chair of the council.
Eugene Myrick — Leave the duties as they are now.
Donald Becker — The mayor should take the input from the eight council members, corral those thoughts, condense them and relay them to the city administrator; to serve as a conduit for information to be sent both ways. The mayor should also be the leader of the council and vote to break ties and be able to appoint two-member council committees to look at specific issues.
For years, Iola’s general operation budget has been supplemented with utility reserves to avoid property tax hikes. Do you support continuing the practice? What if doing away with transfers could result in lower utility bills? What is your opinion of a higher property tax levy?
Eugene Myrick — We should keep it going as we’ve done. This has allowed the city to do things for the betterment of the community. The cost of everything has taken off, but we’ve been able to keep utilities low, in part because we can generate our own electricity and water. We didn’t need to have a sales tax to build a new swimming pool. We need to continue to operate the city efficiently and effectively.
Donald Becker — I support the present philosophy. I wouldn’t change what Iola’s been doing with its general operating budget. Our utility rates are not really out of line, and we’re still getting a good value for our money. I am against a higher property tax levy.
Jim Kilby — The program works, and I think changing the way it operates is asking for problems.
Do you favor offering tax abatements or other incentives for new businesses or homeowners to build anew of remodel their properties? Should more incentives be offered? Less? Why?
Donald Becker — I am in favor of tax abatements, etc. that help attract new businesses, or help current businesses expand. As always we have to look at what money we have.
Jim Kilby — Three good questions, one answer. Iola needs to stay competitive in the market of future and present homeowners and businesses. The abatements and incentives are tools that could draw, or entice someone to stay in Iola.
Eugene Myrick — Yes. They should be publicized more and made more business-friendly. How many people were even aware of these programs over the past several years? We need to make it more public so more people can take advantage.
Do you favor using city resources to seek state or federal grants or earmarks?
Jim Kilby — Making the city’s funds go further is the name of the game. YES.
Eugene Myrick — Why not? Other cities do it. We could use the funds to revive downtown, build parks, help redo our sewers and infrastructure or build roads. Iola does get grants, but they’ve been necessities, for things that needed to be done. Iola should work more with Thrive Allen County.
Donald Becker — Yes, if the money has already been earmarked, we should try to get it, just like anybody else.
The city and Allen County continue to operate two fully staffed ambulance departments within blocks of each other. Do you support seeing consolidated ambulance service for all of Allen County? What if the consolidated service resulted in losing Iola’s full-time fire department in lieu of a volunteer force? Do you favor the current agreement?
Eugene Myrick — The city and county desperately need to get back to the table and get something worked out. The system before worked well. I don’t know all the particulars, but I’d like to be more informed. The city and county should be happy meeting in the middle. They both want to continue to serve their citizens better. The system seems to be working fine for now, but how much longer can we go as citizens to support two services? Losing a full-time fire department would not work. I’m strongly against that, and I’m strongly against an all-volunteer fire department. If I’m a volunteer firefighter, and a call comes in, I have to stop what I’m doing, then go to the station, which takes extra minutes, which could cost lives.
Donald Becker — I would support the idea of trying to consolidate the service, but I would be 100 percent opposed to consolidation if it meant losing a full-time fire department. We need a full-time department to keep our insurance rates low, and not having one would make it much more difficult to attract businesses and keep the ones we have already. To the best of my knowledge, what we had worked well (a consolidated county service in which the city was subsidized by the county and maintained a full-time fire department), and I don’t know why we couldn’t try to go back to that system, with some modifications. What we need most is an open discussion to know where we are.
Jim Kilby — I look at this differently. The City of Iola operates a full-staffed professional fire department that also provides a just as professional ambulance service for the citizens of Iola and whoever else by contract with Allen County. Allen County chooses to base two of the Allen County ambulances in Iola. No, Iola should keep its fire department the way it is.
Please list any comments you would like to offer that have not been addressed in this paper.
Donald Becker — None
Jim Kilby — None.
Eugene Myrick — I hope the citizens of Iola will be patient through this transition period. When you look back through history, when our country was founded, it took a while to get governments up and working. It’s going to take a while to get everything ironed out. I’m glad to see the current commissioners and mayor vote to keep Judy Brigham in office until September. That will help with the transition. One of my main concerns is with the new hospital and what it will do to traffic, and whether we should look at putting in a turning lane to accommodate the extra traffic.
