Sports: ACC cross country gears up for season See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Vote leaves Iola’s County balks at negotiations EMS fate unclear Commissioners raise taxes to assume control By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Allen County commissioners increased their budget’s property tax levy by 2.2 mills Tuesday as the first step in taking full control of countywide ambulance service. The action, which will require the budget to be republished ahead of a Sept. 2 public hearing, came in the wake of a decision by Iola council members Monday night to trigger a termination clause in the city’s contract to pro-
Tom Williams
Dick Works
vide the service. That came on a 3-2 vote after council members decided without additional county funding the city would find itself facing too great of a funding deficit. In addition, a $5 surcharge was added to Iola electric bills for the remaining months of the year, to raise about $70,000 to deal with a pending shortfall for this year. A week ago county commissioners agreed to provide $189,000 — $136,000 immediately and $53,000 by year’s end
— to deal with half the shortage. M o n d a y night Councilman Steve French moved to hand the serJim Talkington vice back to the county adding that he hoped it would spur renegotiations between the county. A consideration in the county’s grant that didn’t sit well with council members was that if Iola gave the service back to the county, the $189,000 would have to be repaid. “A loan” City Administrator Carl Slaugh called it. Commissioners Dick Works and Tom Williams said they had no stomach to renegotiate See COUNTY | Page A4
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
“Boy, you miss one meeting...” Jon Wells said without finishing his thought. Wells was stranded at an airport in Chicago Monday evening, instead of joining the rest of fellow Iola City Council members in one of their most important votes in recent history. He wasn’t the only one missing. Fellow council members Nancy Ford and Bob Shaughnessy, both of whom were out of town for family matters, left five council mem-
bers to decide on the city’s ambulance contract with Allen County. The Council ultimately voted, 3-2, to send a notice to the county that Iola was pulling out of its contract. In response, county commissioners Tuesday increased the county’s 2015 property taxes as the first step in taking full control of the service. “I hoped we could have avoided this, that we could have given it some more time and not get too excited,” Iola City Administrator Carl Slaugh said. “It’s disappointSee CITY| Page A4
ALLEN TRUSTEES
College reviews farm appraisals By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
ACC trustees are trying to get their ducks in a row before making a decision on whether to sell the college farm. Appraisals for the property and its buildings were discussed at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Allen Community College board meeting. David Engelman, Benedict, did the appraisals. The farmland was valued at $578,000. The Zahn house, where Allen scholarship students live, was listed at $117,248. The farm manager’s home was listed at $48,015. Jeff Nemecek, the farm manager, and his family live in the home. John Masterson, ACC president, said he had contacted
area Realtors as for the best method to sell the properties, if trustees indeed decide to sell the college farm. Jenny Spillman, trustee member, was not pleased with the update. “It sounds like we’re selling the farm,” Spillman said. “I’m getting frustrated, every month this keeps coming back.” Chairman Larry Manes, who made the motion in July to pursue appraisals, said this is not the case. “Before I consider selling it I want to know what it’s worth,” Manes said. “It’s going to take at least six months of preliminary work to know what it’s worth.” Spillman, who was the lone vote against the motion, said she didn’t understand why the college was so deterSee COLLEGE | Page A4
Ruby Lucas’ Queen of the Night plant, above, bloomed Tuesday night for the first time in 10 years. The blooms were mostly gone by sunrise. Lucas loves to get visitors to her colorful yard, shown at left, at 1802 S. State St. REGISTER/RICH-
Deadline for health law eligibility near WASHINGTON (AP) — The clock is ticking for hundreds of thousands of people who have unresolved issues affecting their coverage under the new health care law. The Obama administration said Tuesday that letters are going out to about 310,000 people whose citizenship or immigration details don’t match what the government has on file. These consumers need to send in their documentation by Sept. 5. Otherwise their coverage will end Sept. 30. Of the 8 million people who signed up for private coverage through President
Barack Obama’s law, more than 2 million at one point had discrepancies of some sort that affected their eligibility. That number has been greatly reduced — but the remaining cases are proving difficult to resolve. People living in the country illegally are not allowed to get coverage. Officials at the Health and Human Services Department said the letters will notify consumers with unresolved citizenship and immigration issues that they can upload their documents to the HealthCare.gov See HEALTH | Page A4
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 203
ARD LUKEN
Unique flower blooms at night By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Ruby Lucas’ patience paid off. After waiting for 10 years, Lucas witnessed an explosion of color and aroma as her Queen of the Night plant finally bloomed. It was the first time the flowers bloomed from their buds in the 10-plus years Lucas has cared for the cactus-family plant.
“This is wonderful,” she told a late-night visitor as the buds opened to show the white petals. The plant — known more specifically as a night-blooming cereus — comes from the cactus family, although it has no needles, Lucas said. It’s found predominantly in warmer regions, particularly the West Indies. Lucas noted buds began to form in recent days, extending into a velvety ball, growing both in thickness and in
“Faith in oneself is the best and safest course.” — Michelangelo 75 Cents
length. She knew Tuesday afternoon a full bloom was imminent. And short-lived. The petals begin to wilt at the first hint of sunlight. “And like that, they’re gone,” Lucas said. Her Queen of the Night plant is only one of several species of flowers and plants that adorn Lucas’ yard just south of Iola on State Street. See FLOWER | Page A4
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