Emporia city commissioners have purchases and bids to consider for their action meeting, followed water policy and housing projects in their study meeting Wednesday.
The action meeting begins at 11 am at the Municipal Court Room, with a $42,000 bid from SR Coffman Construction to build a new concrete pad for refueling equipment at the Emporia Municipal Airport, the purchase of a street sweeper at over $400,000 through Key Equipment and Supply and a lease purchase agreement through Community National Bank & Trust for four SUVs all on the agenda. A Community Development Block Grant bid award for property at 417 Commercial and an Integrated Controls contract for a lift station are also up for possible action.
The study meeting follows at the White Auditorium Wheeler Conference Room. Commissioners will discuss large-volume water user policy, as well as a housing infill program as presented by the Emporia Land Bank. An update from Prairie Paws Animal Shelter and the city’s latest discussion on the 2027 budget are also planned.
The city makes no mention of the Flint Hills Digital Campus data center in its documents referring to large-volume water users, but water use is a key concern of opponents to the overall plan — and one local group, Emporia Neighbors United, is now organizing an email campaign with a template interested residents can use to send to City Commission members. The group also plans to have a presence at the study meeting during the discussion on water use policy. Emporia Neighbors United has already organized several protests since the data center project was announced June 2.
Announced earlier this month, the Digital Campus project is awaiting a special meeting and public hearing from the Emporia Planning Commission at White Auditorium’s Little Theatre at 6 pm June 23 after city commissioners annexed several tracts of land at their June 3 meeting. City commissioners could take additional action on the data center next month.
