Financially speaking, the City of Emporia is kicking off the 2023 calendar year on the right foot.
According to the 2022 year-end summary presented by City Treasurer Janet Harouff Wednesday morning, the city’s general fund ended the year with a higher unencumbered cash total than 2021. The city ended with $4.7 million more than the original budget projections according to Harouff.
Harouff tells KVOE News sales tax revenues played a large role in the increase as a byproduct of inflation.
The city spent a total of just over $3.6 million in from the multi-year fund for numerous projects in the local community with the largest sum, $2.4 million, being spent on street and sidewalk improvements. The multi-year fund had an ending balance of just over $3 million to be carried over for the completion of various 2022 projects over the course of the current calendar year.
The majority of city funds saw balances exceed the original estimates with the only exception being the library fund with revenues coming in $61,419 lower than original estimates. However; Harouff tells KVOE News while reported as a loss, the final total is actually the opposite.
Harouff says it is unclear if the current trend of higher revenues will continue over the course of 2023. She says increased spending by local residents and the growth of local retail will be the ultimate deciding factor.
In other business Wednesday, commissioners also agreed to take a proposed 30 percent increase in annual firework stand fees to the Lyon County Commission. The increase would affect stands both within the Emporia city limits as well as those located within a one-mile radius of the surrounding greater Lyon County area.
The proposed increase comes as inflationary costs have driven up the price of the annual Emporia fireworks display. According to a report from City Attorney Christina Montgomery, the cost for the annual display rose approximately 28 percent between 2016 and 2022 while the number of stand permits has dropped in the same time period.
A date for when commissioners will converse with the county on the matter is currently pending.
In other business Wednesday, commissioners approved:
*Approved seeking state permission to extend a lift station improvement project by six months due to unspecified supply chain issues.
*Approved requests to tap funding through the Kansas Housing Investment Tax Credit program, one from the Mahnopoly development group to help build nine single-family houses as part of a nearly 30-home development near the Trusler Sports Complex and one from Capitol Holdings LLC to help build duplexes at 1023 and 1025 Merchant.
*Held one executive sesssion on financial affairs is planned.
*Discussed a stormwater improvement project for culverts at Hammond Park.
*Reviewed results of a recent skate park survey.
The Emporia City Commission will next convene on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 11 am inside of White Auditorium.
