The days are dwindling to when Allen County voters go to the polls Tuesday to voice their opinion on a proposed half-cent sales tax. County Commissioners devised the proposal. The proposed tax will generate approximately $1.2 million that will be designated to Allen County emergency medical services (EMS). The county currently pays a $2 million annual contract (August 2024 to July 2025) for EMS services out of its Ambulance Fund. According to commissioners, the additional revenue from the sales tax will lower property taxes, though they have not committed by how much. Source: The Iola Register

Local food truck vendors will likely get a break on their annual license fees while those from other areas will pay the full fee, Iola council members said at their meeting Monday night. A special committee was formed in early April to discuss recommended changes to the city’s ordinance regarding food trucks. The committee discovered other communities have a much lower transient business permit fee than Iola’s. Currently, a six-month permit fee of $250 is the only option available. After April’s meeting, the committee recommended a tier-structured fee scale: $25 for a three-day permit; $50 for 30 days; $250 for six [...]

The small but mighty community of Mildred remains positive about its prospects, Marcia Davis told Allen County Commissioners at their meeting Tuesday morning. “They like that it is quiet, that everybody helps each other, and they love their store,” was the upshot of an Oct. 1 Community Conversation, said Davis, who serves as Thrive Allen County’s Director of Community Engagement. The downside of being a population of 12, is that they lack funding for community goals, they admitted. And with the exodus of residents comes a lack of adequate housing. Source: The Iola Register

A group of travel writers touring Southeast Kansas saw small-town revitalization in action Friday during stops in Iola and Humboldt. “The story of Humboldt has inspired a lot of other towns,” said Colby Sharples-Terry, who led the tour on behalf of Kansas Tourism through TravelKS.com. “It’s been revitalized in a very distinct way. Everything even down to the doorknobs has style and grace. It’s done very elegantly. A lot of times when people think ‘small-town American,’ they think rustic. Humboldt shows you can combine the rural aspect and also new age and industrial. “And Iola is just a fabulous community. Their [...]

Residents seek progress on goals from a community conversation hosted by Thrive Allen County. This year's event addressed matters brought up last year , with small steps made toward their top concerns. Savonburg residents want to see more action taken towards their goals for improvement. Since they met a year ago, small steps have been made towards what they deemed the top three concerns at the time — electrical grid improvements, community involvement, and the town’s appearance. A small group of citizens gathered in the community building Tuesday evening to revisit and revise these goals during Thrive Allen County’s latest community [...]

An outrageous Lawrence City Council meeting is just one example of political discord at the local level. Commission meetings in Lawrence are built to solicit and hear public input. On nearly every agenda item, citizens are given up to three minutes apiece to weigh in. There is even a section of the meeting to hear public comments about city business that isn’t on the agenda. I covered the Lawrence City Commission years ago as a young journalist, you see. There was always a culture of vibrant public input — I can remember the gadflies and their names; the meetings could stretch [...]

Benedikt Middleton wants to change how people view community involvement. “I think there is this idea that to be a member of the city council, you have to be of a certain position in the community,” said Middleton. “I know, growing up, that was the way I felt.” As the newly appointed Iola City Council member to Ward 4, Middleton hopes to see a change in this outlook. Being semi-retired, Middleton worked for 32 years with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) as an engineering technician specialist. He now does remote consulting work for an engineering firm based in Arkansas. Middleton [...]

Voters will decide whether to approve a half-cent sales tax to fund EMS services. The question will be added to the November ballot. Source: The Iola Register

Even when pressed, the townsfolk of Gas found little to complain about nor was their wishlist long. They are there because they like small-town, countryesque living where the amenities of a larger city are just a short drive away. At least that was the takeaway from the half-dozen at Tuesday night’s Community Conversation hosted by Thrive Allen County. Source: The Iola Register

Coffey County commissioners whether a wind farm or a solar farm in the county were negatively affecting the nuclear power plant’s level of production. An official said no, it would be a problem if renewable energy sources were not available to help meet demand. Coffey County commissioners questioned Evergy officials at their meeting last week whether neighboring wind and solar plants were posing undue competition to the Wolf Creek Generating Station, which Evergy has 94% ownership, according to the Coffey County Republican. Commissioners Don Meats and Jesse Knight asked, respectively, whether a wind farm or a solar farm in the county [...]