Emporia City Commissioners spent the majority of their study session reviewing appropriation requests from outside agencies Wednesday morning.
Commissioners gave approval to the majority of requests and denied only three. The denials included the Emporia Senior Center’s request of $76,000, Empower House Ministries’ request of $30,000 and the National Teachers Hall of Fame’s request of $3,000.
The hall of fame request was only denied as the hall sent a memo request and did not follow the proper process according to City Treasurer Janet Harrouff. She says the hall of fame has been invited to resubmit the request at which time commissioners will reconsider it.
As for Empower House, commissioners denied the first-time request as the special alcohol fund, the fund where the allocation would come from, is significantly lower than it has been in years past. Commissioners feel with it being a new entity still getting on its feet, it would be best for the agency to resubmit a request in the near future once operations are fully up and running.
Harrouff says the special alcohol fund is not the only area that may be suffering monetarily this year as inflationary costs are likely to impact the city’s bottom line, especially with several major projects either ongoing or scheduled in the coming months.
A projected budget total is not readily available. Harrouff says the total will likely be presented during the commission’s next regular meeting. The city will have to decide whether or not it plans to exceed the revenue-neutral rate ahead of the Jul. 20th deadline.
A full breakdown of allocations is available below.
In other business Wednesday, commissioners had their latest round of discussions on a new logo for Emporia. The city has been working on rebranding for the past few months and the logo is only a small piece of the overall effort.
According to City Manager Trey Cocking, commissioners are currently looking at two avenues for the design of a new city logo, crowdsourcing or securing the services of a professional firm. He says the question comes down to a preference of passion versus professional designs.
The city will be seeking quotes from local design companies before making a formal decision on which route to take.
The Emporia City Commission will reconvene next Wednesday inside the Municipal Courtroom at White Auditorium.
2023 Allocation Breakdown By Fund:
GENERAL FUND:
*Emporia Main Street: $50,000 – Approved
*Emporia Recreation Commission: $55,000 for operation of Jones Aquatic Center – Approved
*Plumb Place Steering Committee – One-time $25,000 request – Approved
MULTI-YEAR FUND:
*Emporia Land Bank – $50,000 placeholder request – Approved
CONVENTION AND TOURISM FUND:
*Red Rock State Historic Site – $7,500 – Approved
*Emporia Arts Council – $10,000 – Approved
*Emporia Granada Theatre – $30,000 – Approved
*Lifetime – $15,000 contractual – Approved
*Dynamic Discs Open – $25,000 – Approved
*Kansas Free For Arts – $20,000 Approved
*Emporia Main Street – $100,000 – Approved
*Chamber of Commerce – $385,000 – Approved
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT SALES TAX:
*Regional Development Association – $350,000 – Approved
*Emporia Enterprises – $35,000 – Approved
SPECIAL ALCOHOL FUND
*ESU Drug Prevention – $7,200 – Approved
*Corner House – $75,000 – Approved
*Crosswinds Counseling and Wellness – $15,000 – Approved
SPECIAL PARKS FUND:
*Emporia Municipal Band – $15,000 – Approved
