The Indianola City Council met in regular session Monday, which included multiple speakers during the public comment period regarding a possible special assessment on the South K Street Paving Project. City Manager Ben Reeves tells KNIA News the road is used by many commuters who are traveling to the city and dust control is a big issue, and the city wants to make the process as open and as fair as possible.

“It’s a really challenging situation for us. We want to make sure we are respectful to the budgets that were put in place pre-covid, and we want to make sure we are doing things and investing in such a way that we are getting the best bang for the buck in a long-term investment. And we are trying to do it in the most fair approach possible. Not only to those who have been assessed in the past on older street projects, but we also have another seven miles in town that are still gravel that will need to be paved in the future. So we want to make sure there is equal and fair treatment under the law.”

Reeves also said there will be a public meeting open to the neighborhood later this month where residents can learn more about the project. To listen to the full interview, tune in to today’s Let’s Talk Indianola.