Earlier this week I wrote that Monday was a banner day because we learned that Iola is on the road to addressing a housing crunch by the fact that its three elementary schools and an abandoned nursing home will be converted into apartments.
The difference this will mean for our businesses and neighborhoods and, to be crude, our tax base, could be substantial. The more sales and property taxes coming to city and county coffers means the less we all have to pay to keep things up to snuff.
Also a good sign about the decisions by USD 257 board members and Iola Council members is that they were decided by unanimous votes. No doubt, both entities had to deal with some amount of pushback along the way, but their united fronts demonstrate this is a team effort.