Primary elections today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
BOE: Land for schools would cost $521,000 By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
South Street fire
Barbara Elliott escaped injury Monday when the house she was living in at 806 South St. caught fire, causing extensive damage to the home’s interior. Elliott said she had been cleaning the home cleaning and had left briefly, only to see the house in flames when she returned. Iola firefighters, ambulance personnel and Iola and Allen County officers responded. Neither Barbara nor Jerold Elliott, who she said owns it, were injured. The inside of the house appeared to be substantially, if not completely, destroyed. REGISTER/KAREN INGRAM
HUMBOLDT COUNCIL
Hefty property tax increase on horizon By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — Property taxes will rise for Humboldt residents in 2015, and water and sewer rates aren’t far behind. Humboldt City Council members, gathering for a special meeting Monday, approved for publication the city’s 2015 spending plan, which includes a planned 8-mill increase. The proposed budget — including $3,550,806 in spending authority — utilizes an ad valorem tax levy of about 83.555 mills, compared to the 2014 levy of 75.471 mills. That means the owner of a $100,000 home will spend about $93 more in property
taxes to support Humboldt’s budget compared to this year ($960 versus $867). The increases were necessary, City Administrator Cole Herder and Mayor Nobby Davis agreed, because of a reluctance by previous councils to pump additional revenue into the budget, even though costs have risen annually. As a result, several funds are in dire straits. The mill levy increase is a bit larger than it otherwise would have, Herder noted, for a pair of reasons. A 2.5 percent drop in Humboldt’s assessed valuation means more than 2 additional mills were necessary just to make up lost funding, Herder said. In addition, the See TAX | Page A6
By KAREN INGRAM The Iola Register
Celebrations across the state are touting Farmers Market Week, which runs through Saturday. Allen County is no exception. On Thursday, the Allen County Farmers Market will feature its regular array of food vendors along Jackson Avenue, along with the music of Iolan Damaris Kunkler “I think Iola supports the market very well and we appreciate that very much,” said Calvin Parker, Farmers Market president. Parker often has a booth at the market and can be found sharing fresh seasonal vegetables from his garden. In the spring, he often has lettuce, cabbage, broccoli and radishes. In early summer, the peas, green beans and sugar snap peas are at their best. Later, tomatoes and sweet corn come in. Autumn brings turnips and sweet potatoes. “We’re pretty fortunate. I think we’ve got a pretty wide variety of things throughout the year,” he
By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
said. Parker said every year’s bounty is different, depending on the weather patterns. Right now, sweet corn and tomatoes are big sellers at the market. “I try to have tomatoes as early as possible,” he said. Offering fresh, locally grown produce and meeting new people are some of Parker’s favorite things about the market. Something else he finds really special is seeing children try something for the first time, like sugar snap peas, and liking it. “You’d be surprised the number of people who don’t have them in their diet,” he said. Gov. Sam Brownback announced August would be Farmers Market Month and the week of Aug. 3-9 would be Farmers Market Week, in honor of Kansas agriculture. The Farmers Market meets at its usual time Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. Kunkler said she would try to bring the stage close to the end of the market to make it more available to people and perform songs on her guitar from a variety of eras and genres to have something for everybody.
MORAN COUNCIL
Area fire departments consolidate Monday By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Health Care Foundation President Dr. Bridget McCandless, left, and Gena Clounch, right, present Terri Kretzmeier with the 2014 Healthy Allen award. COURTESY PHOTO County Youth Enrichment Fund. This helps organizations purchase programming or equipment to support projects for youth in Allen County.
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 197
See SCHOOL | Page A3
Iola to celebrate Farmers Market
Kretzmeier named Healthy Allen Due to her passion for nutrition, Iolan Terri Kretzmeier is the recipient of the 2014 Healthy Allen Award. The Kansas Health Care Foundation award is for an individual or organization that promotes good health among the uninsured and underserved in Allen County. The award includes a $5,000 grant. Kretzmeier, Iola, decided to donate the grant to the Allen County Community Foundation. “I thought they were a great organization so it seemed best,” she said. The Foundation is a taxexempt public charity that allows people to establish endowment funds within one large foundation. She also started the Allen
If voters give their blessing this fall to a $49 million school bond issue, USD 257 will pay about $521,000 to acquire about 95 acres of land for the project. School board members approved last week a contract to purchase the land sandwiched around the Prairie Spirit Trail, just north of Oregon Road on the north edge of Iola. “We’re thrilled to get the land at that price,” Superintendent of Schools Jack Koehn told the Register. Board members voted, 4-0, on a $2,500 option to buy the land from David and Joyce Austin of Parsons at a special meeting July 29. Under terms of the con-
tract, the district will pay about $7,500 per acre for 18.59 acres west of the trail — about $139,000 — for the elementary school, and $5,000 per acre for 76.33 acres — another $381,000 — on which the high school would be built. Local voters must approve a pair of referendums to green-light construction of a new elementary and high school. The first is a general obligation bond that would increase property taxes about 17 mills, although that number is mitigated by a significant drop for this year’s property tax levy, prompted by Supreme Court-mandated legislation to make education funding more equitable across the state. That means
Kretzmeier is in her 10th year as a nutrition assistant for the Family and Nutrition See HEALTHY | Page A6
MORAN — Consolidation of Moran with Osage and Marmaton township fire departments, in the works for months, came about Monday evening by unanimous vote of Moran City Council members. Bill McAdam, Moran, gave enabling information when he told council members Marmaton Township was willing to provide $15,000 for a new truck and also contribute $5,000 a year for operation of the merged departments. Osage Township officials earlier pledged $12,000 upfront and agreed to
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.” — Abraham Lincoln 75 Cents
$5,000 in operating capital. Mayor Phil Merkel — also Moran fire chief — noted not all of the $10,000 in operating funds from the townships likely would be needed most years, and that excess could be deposited in reserve for the day when a new fire truck was needed. He predicted a truck’s purchase would occur in two or three years. Funds raised by the two townships come from a property tax levy in each. Council members also agreed for LaHarpe Communications to have access to the top of Moran’s water tower to install electronic See MORAN | Page A6
Hi: 91 Lo: 70 Iola, KS