An open house on Tuesday was designed to answer questions about a new floodplain maps. Most Allen County residents got good news, as 85 properties no longer are listed in the floodplain. Eight were added. Debbie Menzie was surprised to receive a notice that her home is now in a floodplain. It’s never flooded at her home in the north part of Iola, just off Washington Street. Not even close. She attended an open house on Tuesday at the Community Building in Riverside Park, hosted by the Kansas Department of Agriculture to review new floodplain maps. The new maps show 85 properties are no longer in the floodplain. Eight, including Menzie’s home, have been added. Property owners who have a federally-backed mortgage must have flood insurance if their home is in the floodplain. Menzie said she has never needed flood insurance. She doesn’t have a mortgage so she isn’t required to carry it. She attended Tuesday’s event to discuss her options. She’s not sure if she wants to purchase flood insurance, just in case. “It’s a risk,” Menzie said. “I’m still not sure what I’m going to do but I’ll look into it.”
Source: The Iola Register

A proposal to renovate the Allen County Courthouse because of security issues failed with 76% of voters opposed. The other bond issue on the ballot, for renovations at the Crest school district, passed comfortably. City council and school board races also were decided. Allen County voters overwhelmingly rejected Tuesday a proposed $9.95 million bond issue to renovate the Allen County Courthouse. … Such huge margins represent a stinging defeat for the plan’s proponents, which included District Judge Dan Creitz and Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy, who attempted to convince voters the renovations were needed to improve security at the courthouse.
Source: The Iola Register

It took four bond issues for local citizens to support building a new school in Iola. Administrators learned the secret was paying attention to public input. A countywide referendum on whether to renovate the Allen County courthouse likely drew more voters to the polls Tuesday than in a typical off-year election. An estimated 2,510 voters — or about 29% of Allen County’s 8,698 registered voters — weighed in. … As local school administrators can attest, community engagement is vital to passing bond issues. After three failed measures to build new schools — 1979, 1985 and 2014 — local voters in 2019 approved a $35 million issue to build a new elementary school, high school science center and an HVAC overhaul for the middle school.
Source: The Iola Register