Emporia City Commissioners have joined the national outcry for more common-sense gun laws following the second deadliest school shooting in history last week.
Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution calling for swift action by federal and state lawmakers to enact more common-sense gun laws in hopes of reducing any future deaths related to gun violence. The resolution was drafted by Commissioner Jamie Sauder and City Manager Trey Cocking over the past week following the mass shooting in Uvalde, TX, last Tuesday that claimed the lives of 19 students and two faculty members.
Sauder presented the resolution saying it is the commission’s duty to take every measure possible to ensure such violence does not “happen in our own backyard.” Sauder added that gun laws have become a “political volleyball” in recent years, and he finds it disheartening that there seems to be a lack of individuals at the federal level willing to reach across the aisle to find a solution to the problem.
Cocking says while the issue of gun violence is a “tricky one” to navigate, that doesn’t mean we should simply sit idle and watch the situation continue to worsen.
The city will now draft a formal letter to be sent off to state and federal representatives in the coming weeks.
In other business, commissioners approved a trio of development-related matters following a series of brief public hearings. Firstly, commissioners approved granting tax increment finance district status to the Red Brick Investment’s new travel plaza in west Emporia.
Commissioners also approved designating the development as a community improvement district which allows for the collection of a two percent sales tax on items sold only within the district. The TIF status will allow collected taxes in the district to be put towards covering the costs of infrastructure but no vertical construction according to Special Projects Coordinator Jim Witt.
Separately, commissioners also approved a resolution designating the so-called Whittier Tract Mathropolis Project as a rural housing incentive district. This is the city’s sixth RHID and Witt says plans are already in motion for the development of 27 new residential units on the property, however, additional details are not available at this time.
He adds this project may be just the tip of the iceberg with more projects in the works.
During the commission’s study session, City Treasurer Janet Harouff presented a first look at the city’s budget process timeline. The city will officially begin the process on Jun. 15 with a review of capital improvement project requests coming over the next five years. Commissioners will then receive an overview of all outside tax dollars and hear allocation requests from outside agencies on Jun. 29.
Jul. 6 will see commissioners take a look at all city funds and decide if the city will be exceeding the revenue-neutral rate before Jul. 20, the deadline where all taxing entities must submit a notice to the County Clerk’s office if they are planning to exceed the RNR.
The budget must be adopted between Aug. 20 and Sept. 20.
Emporia City Commissioners will next convene at 11 am Wednesday, Jun. 15 inside the Municipal Courtroom at White Auditorium.
