Tornado-damaged city asked to consider merger

? If tornado recovery proves too costly in Franklin, residents always have the option of accepting Arma’s invitation to become part of the neighboring southeast Kansas town.

At a Franklin community meeting, Arma Mayor Rock Anderson said if Franklin’s recovery efforts didn’t work out as planned, Arma, a city of 1,500 five miles north of Franklin, was willing to merge.

“If all else fails, give us a yell,” Anderson said. “We want you to know that Arma has no intention of coming down and gobbling up Franklin. Our intent is to lend a helping hand.”

Franklin resident Bill LaSota asked Anderson for details of some of the “good things” the Arma mayor said could happen through merger. Anderson responded by talking about his city’s police and fire protection, electric utilities, water service and sewer service.

“In Arma we pay $15 per month for sewer service,” Anderson said. “We’ve also got two cable companies for those who like to watch TV.”

Robert Craig Stokes, chairman of Rural Water District No. 7, who presided at the meeting, suggested Arma officials put together information about water rates and city ordinances, and bring it to the next Franklin community meeting, which is scheduled for June 8.

Stokes said Franklin residents appreciated all the help Arma provided after the May 4 tornado, which killed three Crawford County residents, including 87-year-old Franklin resident Josephine Maghe. The tornado leveled scores of homes in this community of 300.