The City of Emporia has made its stance on the potential expansion of Medicaid across Kansas clear.
During their regular action session Wednesday, commissioners approved a resolution stating the city’s support for the expansion of Medicaid, a major objective for Kansas Governor Laura Kelly throughout her tenure. City Manager Trey Cocking tells KVOE News there were two main drivers behind the city’s action Wednesday.
The city’s support comes roughly a month after the governor unveiled her new so-called “middle-of-the-road” expansion plan which could add up to 50,000 residents to Medicaid if lawmakers approve. The topic of Medicaid has drawn mixed reactions from local lawmakers heading into this year’s legislative session with some believing there will be little to no discussion and certainly no action on the matter. In contrast, others are hopeful it could see some discussion and possibly make it to the floor before the session concludes.
In other business Wednesday, commissioners also approved a conditional use permit for renovations and construction work at 502 Commercial Street. Current plans are to construct several “garden level” apartment units in the space.
As city zoning regulations do not specifically pertain to subterranean housing, the conditional use permit was considered the best course of action forward according to City Zoning Administrator Justin Givens.
The permit was approved unanimously, however, Commissioner Susan Brinkman did note she had reservations due to issues with residential parking in the area. Brinkman says business owners have expressed concerns on how residential parking in the area can limit space for customers and reduce foot traffic coming through their doors.
Brinkman says it is not a bad problem to have as less space means there is growth happening in the area, however, she feels that growth should come with more solutions to simple problems such as parking congestion.
Separately Wednesday, commissioners approved the city’s legislative statement and rejected bids for stormwater improvements for the Sunset Lake Addition due to the bids being well over the engineer’s original estimates.
During the commission’s study session, commissioners received an update from the city’s homelessness advisory board. Chair Mickey Edwards requested at that time for the city to grant a six-month extension on the potential transfer of Urbanside Park to the Emporia Landbank.
Edwards tells KVOE News the board believes there is a lot of potential in the park for helping further their goal of providing services to the city’s homeless population.
Edwards also requested the addition of a part-time dedicated staff member to help with some of the day-to-day research and responsibilities of the advisory board. Edwards says they will look into potential funding sources for the position in the coming months.
In separate study matters, commissioners discussed codes related to parks and recreation, rehabilitation of the bandstand in Fremont Park, and exhaust brakes. The Emporia City Commission will reconvene for its regular action and study meetings at 11 am Wednesday, February 7 inside of the Municipal Courtroom at White Auditorium.
