The Kalona City Council held a public hearing for the proposed Shiloh annexation with some concerns from the public. With current COVID-19 restrictions, individuals voiced concerns at Monday’s public hearing of continuing the annexation online or in advance. The City is in the process of annexing 200 acres of land from the Shiloh Church and Marilyn Farm property into city limits. The land would then be used for various city projects such as single and low income housing, bike trials, and other projects over a 10 to 15 year span. City Administrator Ryan Schalbaugh says he appreciates all the questions people asked and wants to make sure the council and public are on the same page before a decision is made. Schlabaugh tells KCII News why this annexation will be worth it in the long run, “It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come to a lot of communities very often with respect to the amount of property and the amenities that the property has currently. That’s really what brought us to the table is we discussed the building, partnerships and collaborations with groups. That didn’t work out, but it didn’t work out after lengthy discussion and committee meetings and group input. The numbers just didn’t work. The second product to that was there was interest in a standalone subdivision and there’s still the ability through the committee to really hit a lot of those key points that those committees have was recreation, outlets for the public, county conservation, and so forth. I think we’ve really done a great job of trying to craft discussions with developers and landowners that lead us to the point that the public expressed a real want for early on.” The council will hold another public hearing on April 13th featuring Kalona city attorney Bill Sueppel to answer any questions the public or council may have. The council will vote to continue the annexation process, or hold another public hearing on April 20th to be able to reach a decision.