Emporia leadership has begun outlining the terms that any large-volume water users would have to adhere to should they choose to locate themselves in Emporia.
As part of their regular study meeting Wednesday, commissioners reviewed the first draft of a new citywide large-volume water use policy. City Manager Trey Cocking, both during Wednesday’s meeting and on KVOE’s Talk of Emporia Tuesday, noted the policy is not aimed at any one user, however, the policies development was spurred by the potential creation of the Flint Hills Digital Campus announced two weeks prior saying the city is seeing emerging opportunities and they need policies such as the water use document in place to moderate concerns, including the potential for high water usage.
Cocking would also say the guiding principle of the policy would be to ensure that “Infrastructure required solely to serve a large-volume customer should generally be funded by that customer” and not by existing customers i.e., residents.
In terms of maintaing that principle, the document, as currently proposed includes several “non-negotiables” by city leadership including a minimum 10-year contract term with large scale users, a required up front payment of 75 percent of the cost of water usage, a minimum monthly billing obligation and the requirement that the end user would be responsible for any studies, engineering reviews and professional services related to the infrastructure or water usage.
Also during his comments Wednesday and Tuesday, Cocking noted that the development of such a policy, as well as prior steps, including the annexation of land that could have the digital campus, are not signs that the project is a “done deal,” adding that the city can cease any pursuit or discussions of the venture at any time. On a related note, Wednesday, Cocking stated that there is also the possibility that the developers or potential end users, who, according to the city, have yet to be determined, could choose not to adhere to the policy and end the conversation themselves, a point reiterated by Mayor Becky Smith Wednesday.
Smith also reiterated the “blanket” nature of the policy to cover any large volume users either in the present or future, noting that economic development is a constant, ever-changing landscape and this is a document the city needs to have in place, regardless of who the user may be.
The city has not taken any action on the policy at this time. The next opportunity for commissioners to consider the policy will come at their July 1st action meeting.
Much like two weeks earlier, the city’s discussion of the policy followed a lengthy period of public comment from residents, the majority of whom were in opposition to the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus project. Also, like two weeks earlier, a common theme began to emerge among the commenters that claimed the city had been dealing “in secret” and lacking transparency with the process over the last several months.
Commissioners, before diving into their full action agenda, would take time to address these concerns with Commissioner Monica Duncan specifically asking City Manager Trey Cocking “In the fiveish months I have been involved with the City Commission, have we heard about the possibility of other developers and companies interested in coming to Emporia and not shared that information?” Cocking noted that this was the case, with Duncan later explaining to KVOE News that her reasoning for the question was to illustrate that when it comes to business dealings, much of the preliminary work is done in executive session in an effort to protect the interests of potential developers.
Smith also responded to the claims that commissioners have not been “truthful” with residents, saying the commission is not withholding any details, and they themselves are still learning information in what leadership continues to call the “infancy” stages of the process.
Cocking would echo that statement, noting that contrary to what some believe, there have been no actions taken binding the commission to the project at this time.
Following Wednesday’s meeting, the next opportunity for the public to engage with potential developers and local leadership will be at a special meeting of the Emporia/Lyon County Metropolitan Area Planning Commission Tuesday at 6 pm inside the arena at White Auditorium.
You can view the water policy and other documents from Wednesday’s meeting by clicking here. The Emporia City Commission is next scheduled to meet at 11 am Wednesday, July 1st, inside White Auditorium.
