Iola council restores municipal court hours to 5 p.m., sets Oct. 15 condemnation hearing and approves recreation grant application

The Iola City Council on a voice vote moved its municipal court hours back to a 5 p.m. end time, approved a resolution to schedule a public hearing on a long‑running code enforcement case at 710 North Street, and authorized staff to apply for a matching recreation grant to improve the city’s soccer fields.

A council member made the motion “to approve ordinance 353 31 changing Municipal Court time from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. starting October 1st,” which was seconded and approved by voice vote. Council discussion centered on public access: one council member said later that restoring the later end time would make court more accessible to people working during standard business hours, while noting the change may inconvenience some second‑shift workers.

On a separate item, a code official described repeated code violations at 710 North Street dating back to 2017 and said the judge has ordered staff to begin condemnation proceedings. The official told the council this resolution would set a public hearing for Oct. 15, 2024, at 6 p.m. so property owners and others with claims may appear and respond. The council approved resolution 2024 F‑15 to set that hearing; staff said, if the property remains in violation after the public hearing, the city could proceed with condemnation and recover demolition costs as allowed by the unified development code.

Council also authorized staff to apply for a matching recreation grant after Jason said the nonprofit Thrive had approached the city to support improvements including lights, irrigation and potential restroom facilities at the soccer complex. Jason noted the city has existing infrastructure that could support a restroom hookup and that the grant award and available match would determine scope. Council voted to give staff authority to submit the application.

Procedural votes on the agenda and consent items were completed at the start of the meeting by voice vote. The council also set procedural public hearings tied to the budget and revenue‑neutral rate for Sept. 9 (discussed separately during the meeting).

What’s next: The municipal court hours ordinance will take effect Oct. 1. A public hearing on the property at 710 North Street is scheduled for Oct. 15, when council will hear responses and decide whether to proceed with condemnation; the recreation grant application will proceed through the application process, with any award and match details to be returned to council if required.