Public hearings are now set for a trio of matters related to major development projects in the city of Emporia.
During the Emporia City Commission’s action meeting Wednesday evening, commissioners approved a public hearing date of Wednesday, Jun. 1 for two items related to the proposed Red Brick Investment new travel plaza in west Emporia. The first hearing will be for the formal designation of the development as tax increment finance district.
According to Special Projects Coordinator Jim Witt, the public hearing is a requirement by state statute and will be the second to last step in the process of formally establishing the district.
TIF’s are sub-districts within a redevelopment project in which collected taxes help to cover the costs of construction. In addition to the TIF status, commissioners will also hold a public hearing on a petition submitted by the project’s developer for a two percent sales tax on all eligible items sold only within the district.
The petition, if approved, would also designate the development as a Community Improvement District with funds generated by the sales tax going towards infrastructure improvements within the district.
Separately, commissioners also set Jun. 1 as the date for a public hearing regarding the establishment of the so-called Whittier Tract as a rural housing incentive district. Commissioners approved a resolution to submit a request for RHID status to the state on Dec. 1 of last year with approval given by the state on Jan. 4.
Following the public hearing, the RHID will be established with the passage of an ordinance by the commission. According to Witt, a developer has already made a move on the property.
In other business Wednesday, Erren Harter was sworn in as the newest member of the commission after he was chosen to serve the remainder of Rob Gilligan’s term earlier this month. Commissioners also approved Charter Ordinance 40 which repeals Charter Ordinance 26 – the city’s home rule authority – which exempts the city from certain provisions of state law related to meetings of the City Commission for Cities of the First Class. The commission’s action follows the repealing of provisions in the state law thus rendering ordinance 26 unnecessary.
A proposed rescheduling for two meetings in May also gained unanimous approval. Commissioners voted to reschedule the May 4 and May 18 action meetings to 11 am with a study session to follow immediately as a trial run for a new proposed permanent meeting schedule format. The new format comes following strategic planning discussions last week in an effort to “improve consistency and efficiency.”
A lease and operations agreement with the Emporia Animal Shelter, an exchange of federal funds with the Kansas Department of Transportation for state transportation dollars for 2022 and bids for both the Emporia hazardous sidewalk program and 2022 street rehab project also gained unanimous approval Wednesday night.
The Emporia City Commission will reconvene for a study session next Wednesday at 10 am inside the Municipal Courtroom at White Auditorium.
