The ELC-Z zoning workshop series concluded Thursday evening at the Civic Building with a discussion on residential and other personal property topics.

City of Emporia Planning and Zoning Officer Joe Foster and Lyon County Planning and Zoning Officer Sam Seeley took turns fielding questions from concerned parties, many of whom took issue not so much with proposed zoning regulations, but aspects of the comprehensive plan.

In Nov. 2017, Lyon County and City of Emporia officials completed and unanimously adopted a joint zoning regulations draft known as PlanELC. Since then, both have been working to update their zoning regulations for its support in implementation. PlanELC includes diagrams and proposed concepts for future growth, including drawings of what streets could look like in a more modern downtown area and more. Addressing issues with some of the possible design choices, Seeley reminded those in attendance that the comprehensive plan would never supersede existing zoning regulations.

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Lyon County Commissioners rejected a project bid for a hot water system replacement at the county jail during a brief action session Thursday morning.

Offered by SGI of Liberty, Missouri, the proposed bid came in at a higher rate than engineers anticipated, forcing a unanimous “no” vote. The meeting marked the second time commissioners were forced to reject a bid on the project due to cost.

“It’s frustrating, being that this is the second time we’ve had to put it out for bid,” Commissioner Dan Slater said. “The first time, we only got one bid from a single company, and a lot of the local merchants were interested but didn’t bid on it. The first bid was too high, so we put it out for bid again … The same company was the only one to bid on it again this time, but the price was even higher than it was the first time.”

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)