Emporia City Commission incumbent Tyler Curtis is seeking his first full term in office, and he recently joined KVOE News for his Candidate Spotlight interview.
Curtis is the only incumbent in the field, and he says the city has done its due diligence in asking Lyon County, USD 253 Emporia and the Emporia Recreation Commission to form a joint task force towards reducing property taxes — even though all other entities tabled the matter until further notice. Curtis says Emporia has one of the highest property tax burdens among comparable cities in Kansas, partly because Emporia “is not good at sharing services” — emergency communications being an exception.
Emporia city commissioners have mentioned possibly enacting a new half-percent sales tax. If that comes to pass, Curtis says the best use would be to drive down property taxes, much like other counties across Kansas have done.
The Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas’ leadership position remains unfilled, more than 18 months after Chuck Scott resigned. In the meantime, the City Commission requested and received a restructuring of the RDA board to expand overall voting membership and to add new voting members. Curtis appreciates the due diligence with the president search, although he says a new leader needs to be in place sooner rather than later. He also says the board restructuring was a step in the right direction, saying the additions of Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College reflect the impact of the city’s biggest economic drivers. Curtis says the city needs to take a closer look at growing both job numbers and median incomes.
Curtis was appointed to the commission last year after the death of longtime commissioner Danny Giefer.
Spotlights feature candidate answers to questions about several core topics: property taxes, economic development partners including the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas, housing and a potential new half-percent sales tax.
*Click here for KVOE News’ Voter Information Guide, courtesy Community National Bank.
