Special projects coordinator Jim Witt explained to the Emporia City Commission during its Wednesday morning study session that an applicant had come forward with a proposal to install 10 new upper-floor apartments in the 700 block of Commercial Street. Witt said this would be the first such project in Emporia to be completed after new legislation became effective July 1 allowing Kansas cities with fewer than 60,000 people to issue Rural Housing Incentive District bonds to renovate the upper floors of buildings at least 25 years old in central business districts for residential use. Source: Emporia Gazette

Emporia city staff will receive salary increases in 2022, but how much those raises will be and how they will be allocated remain undecided. The topic of city staff wages again came up during the city commission’s Wednesday morning study session as it discussed its 2022 budget. Increasing salaries has been a pressing issue as the commission has worked on its 2022 budget, with commissioners and city staff acknowledging that in the past several years wage adjustments haven’t occurred as often as necessary to keep pay rates competitive with those offered by other communities. In previous sessions, the commission had discussed [...]

Communications Solutions LLC is expanding operations into Emporia and creating 250 new jobs, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday. “Our partnership with CSLCC, which will create 250 new jobs in Emporia, is a testament to our state’s talented workforce and strong economy,” Kelly said in a written release. “Congratulations to CSLLC and Emporia on this exciting announcement. We’ll continue prioritizing pro-growth policies to recruit new businesses and families to our state.” CSLLC is a provider of business-to-business and business-to-consumer call center services. The company is purchasing a facility to create a new call center in response to growing customer demand, with hiring [...]

The Emporia City Commission returned to a discussion of wage increases for city staff during its study session Wednesday morning. In a previous discussion held on June 23, human resources director Jo Lynne Herron informed the commission that the last official compensation study was completed in 2007, and in that time the consumer price index had increased by 24%. There was only one wage increase for city staff during that period, a 2% cost of living adjustment in 2014. A modest 12% increase in the wage scale was proposed in order to combat difficulty with the hiring and retention of city [...]

A flock of birds has nested in downtown Emporia. Bird Scooters, that is. The electric scooters are a new mode of transportation popping up in cities around Kansas. The goal, the company said, is to give the community access to another mode of transportation and bring a boost to the economy. “A growing list of cities, states, and countries are looking to micromobility alternatives, such as scooters and bikes, not only as a means of minimizing congestion but also as a way to support local economic recovery,” a Bird spokesperson said. “We are excited to work with Emporia to offer residents [...]

The Emporia City Commission selected a search firm to identify candidates to become the next city manager during its action session Wednesday afternoon. Osenbaugh-Deardoff Consulting out of Derby will assist the city in the process of replacing current city manager Mark McAnarney, who announced last month that he will retire by the end of this year. Osenbaugh-Deardoff was one of five candidates determined by special projects coordinator Jim Witt and was the firm that received his top recommendation “because of their location in Kansas, knowledge of Kansas, how non-metro service centers like Emporia function, and to me that’s an important factor.” [...]

The Lyon County Commission will hear a resolution to designate the county as a Rural Opportunity Zone. Rob Gilligan of Ignite Emporia will discuss the ROZ along with program manager Rachell Rowland of the Kansas Department of Commerce. There are added benefits for residents in ROZ counties, including student loan payment assistance administered by KDC. KDC partners with cities, counties, employers and foundations to pay up to $15,000 in students loans over five years, according to the KDC website. Lyon County currently does not support the student repayment option. Source: Emporia Gazette

The Emporia City Commission began a discussion regarding wages scale increases for city workers during its joint study/action session Wednesday morning. Human resources director Jo Lynne Herron said that the last official compensation study was completed in 2007, and in that time the consumer price index had increased by 24%. There was only one wage increase for city staff during that period, a 2% cost of living adjustment in 2014. “We are 22%, 23% behind changing our wages since the last time we did a compensation study,” Herron said. “We looked at increasing that to get to what we could be, [...]

Emporia city manager Mark McAnarney announced his impending retirement in an emotional statement delivered to the Emporia City Commission Wednesday afternoon. “I would like to inform the mayor and commission that I plan to retire prior to the end of 2021,” McAnarney said. “I will work with the commission to ensure a smooth transition as you look for that city manager. As you can tell, this is a very hard decision for me, since I think the world of this organization, community and area. It has been a great honor and pleasure to work for the city.” McAnarney started working with [...]

Sergeant Lisa Hayes has seen a lot of changes in the makeup of local law enforcement over the course of her career. Perhaps the most exciting change for the 23-year-veteran of the Emporia Police Department, Hayes said, has been bringing more women into the ranks. “I believe more women are going into the field and are empowered to go into the field and want to do this type of work,” she said. “We are definitely getting to record numbers here.” Between the Emporia Police Department, Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, Emporia State University Police and Safety and Lyon County Detention Center — [...]