Emporia Mayor - Jeff Longbine
May 12, 2009
Ask Emporia's Mayor - Jeff Longbine your questions.
Moderator: Jeff Longbine, Emporia mayor, is taking your questions until 2 p.m. Jeff was first elected to a four-year term on the Emporia City Commission in April 2007. Last month, his fellow commissioners elected him mayor. He is a lifelong resident of Emporia and owns Longbine Auto Plaza, a new-car dealership founded by his grandfather, Dick Handy, then run by his father, Rich Longbine. He and his wife, Gwen, have two daughters and a son who died earlier.
history_nerd: Are there any plans to take care of the wasp problem at Peter Pan Park?
Jeff Longbine: I’m not aware of the wasp problem at Peter Pan Park . I will contact Interim Park Manager Mark McAnarney to make him aware of the problem. If they are concentrated in specific areas I would think we could spray to reduce or eliminate the problem.
mightym: How does a person that withdraws from city commission race still get nearly 1600 votes? What is your opinion on dividing the city up into districts and having more people on the commission? Why or why not?
Jeff Longbine: I suspect that the smoking ban issue that was on the same ballot had considerable influence on the votes for the City Commission race. I’m a strong supporter of the current make-up of the Commission and the way in which we are elected. We are charged with examining the city as a whole and balancing the needs of the city as a whole. If we were divided into Districts and Commissioners were charged with representing their district it could become very difficult to represent the city as a whole. Dividing the city into Districts could make it more difficult to indentify quality candidates and could eliminate quality candidates that could live in the same district. My fellow Commissioners do a great job of looking at the city needs and prioritizing them based on the benefit the city as a whole.
nbnorton: What decisions are being made about the intersection at 15th and Graphic Arts Road? Will that intersection be open before the intersection at 12th and Graphic Arts Road is closed?
Jeff Longbine: The intersection at 15th and Graphic Arts was part of the bridge project over the new KTA exchange. K-Dot was the lead agency and hired the design team and oversaw the project including the inspection process. When the project was completed concern was raised over the safety of the intersection. K-Dot closed the intersection until a resolution could be reached. There are a series of meetings this week to determine the best option for addressing the safety concerns. I feel that K-Dot has been very receptive to our concerns including agreeing not to proceed on the 12th Ave project until the 15th Ave concerns are corrected
Tell: Who is paying for the damaged street on the north end of the new Deer Brook addition? Who is responsible for the settling? Did the city have a full time inspector on the job?
Jeff Longbine: The street in question has had some settling issues since completion. The city has not signed off on the project therefore it is still the responsibility of the contractor. The Engineering office has been working closely with the contractor to complete the necessary repairs. I have been told those repairs will be made when the rains stop and the area dries out.
Tell: How much did the Bio-Diesel plant cost the city?
Jeff Longbine: The city and RDA continue to have discussion with REG concerning the Emporia facility. REG remains committed to the project and are waiting on the capital and credit markets to open back up so that permanent financing can be obtained. The city has provided some infrastructure to the site that has been paid for through the Industrial Sale Tax Fund. We have expended approximately $105,000.00 for the relocation of water and sewer lines. We have paid approximately $775,000.00 for the upgrade to the gas line that will serve REG and the new Hills plant. WE will be re-paid for this expense through a contractual minimum use agreement between REG and Kansas Gas. This agreement remains in force at this time. The Commission will soon decide weather to complete the extension of Penny Lane that will serve the REG and Hills Plant. We have applied for an Economic Development Grant from the State of Kansas that could pay for up to half of the cost. REG has made payments totaling $40,200.00 to the city as outlined in the Incentive Compliance agreement and they are current on their property taxes of $39,000.00 per year.
Tell: Why are there more city engineer inspectors than building inspectors? Who performs more inspections?
Jeff Longbine: All 4 engineering techs do perform inspections. We have 3 building inspectors, including Martin Peres who does plan review, demolitions, etc. The engineering techs also perform plan review; work with contractors and KDOT on projects and process paperwork. Jon Proehl, who is lead engineering tech, also runs the day-to-day operations of the Engineering Dept. when Mike Novak is out of the office. In short, in addition to non-inspecting work, most engineering inspections take longer than building inspections
Tell: What is the relationship with the RDA? Does the RDA report to the city? How is the RDA funded?
Jeff Longbine: The RDA is an entity of its own standing that has been charged with the mission of economic development for the area. The RDA has an independent board of directors who are appointed by the City Commission, County Commission , Chamber of Commerce, and Emporia Enterprises. There are ex-oficio members that serve who are normally the full time executives of the stakeholders. The RDA does not report directly to the city but is accountable to the member organizations and their boards. The RDA is funded through the economic development sales tax that was passed in the mid- ninety’s. The RDA budget is approved by the City Commission because of this funding method. The model and make-up of the RDA has been complimented many times over by state leaders including the Governor. We have been complimented by many industries for bringing together all of the necessary components into one organization and eliminating costly time delays. There are many Kansas communities who are envious of our RDA model and the success that we have had.
moderator: What will be the challenges in doing a city budget this year?
Jeff Longbine: The challenge each year is to find the balance between providing quality services and keeping taxes at a minimum. The Commission has asked staff to approach the budget with no increase in taxes. The difficulty will be that we are unsure of the revenue side. The assessed valuation appears to be down 2% and we are unsure of what sales tax collections will be due to the current recession. The County Wide Sales tax will help with some much needed infrastructure repairs and upgrades. We will continue to have public budgets hearing this year. I urge all residents to become involved in the process by attending these hearings.
moderator: With Tyson using less city water what adjustments will the city need to make? Will the city raise water rates?
Jeff Longbine: This is a situation that we have been monitoring closely since early 2008. Our water sales are d own substantially but the loss cannot be attributed to Tyson alone. All of our major users are down in water use. We have made changes in the 2009 budget to alleviate some of the problem. This includes eliminating capital expenditures and leaving position unfilled. We are monitoring more closely our water loss due to leaks and faulty meters. We just received a large grant form the Federal Stimulus program that will help pay for some of the large capital programs. I believe that the Commission favors doing everything we can do not to raise rates.
blulitespecial: Not a question- just a Thank You for the update on Hill's and REG and gas line.Interesting!
moderator: City and county law enforcement consolidation seems to make sense to help save money. What is the latest with the consolidation efforts?
Jeff Longbine: The Law Enforcement Consolidation Task Force studied this issue for over a year. The consensus was that there were not enough savings in full consolidation to proceed at this time. There have been discussions about consolidation of certain areas within law enforcement and I hope those discussions will continue. The Chief of Police and the Sheriff talk on a regular basis and continue discussions on sharing resources and equipment. Consolidation can work but the quality of service needs to remain and the cost needs to decrease for it to be effective. Local law enforcement costs approximately $10,000,000.00 per year. If these costs continue to rise we will need to look at effective ways to reduce these expenses.
moderator: The Rec commission is in need of money to improve their facilities. Do you think a 2 mill increase is enough to accomplish what they want?
Jeff Longbine: This has been a discussion point for some time. The Rec Commission receives their funding through the School District but the majority of the facilities used are owned by the city. The Rec Commission provides the programming for recreation but also maintain the facilities that they use. They also operate the Jones Aquatic Center and use and maintain Trussler Fields in the summertime. The upkeep and maintenance of these facilities is very expensive and takes from the funds to support the programming that the Rec Commission provides. The Rec Commission has had considerable discussions about the proper governance model. I have been a proponent of consolidation with the city and creating a Park and Rec Dept. I believe that there would be synergies and cost savings to combining these functions. At this time the Rec Board has decided to remain autonomous at this time so the city and Rec Commission are working on Master Agreements on all shared facilities. This item is on our study session agenda tomorrow and we have a lunch scheduled with the Rec board to continue these discussions. As always the public is invited to comment.
Steve_Corbin: What is the possibility of dropping the fireworks ban in the city limits this year? It seems to be a huge hassle as far as time spent on police calls and follow up.
Jeff Longbine: As a young child growing up the 4th was one of my favorite holidays because of the fireworks. I think it is important to remember why the ban is in place. Fireworks are a real danger to person and property. I would hate to see the loss of life or property due to lifting the ban. There are places outside of the city where it is legal to shoot fireworks. I urge everyone to use good common sense and be respectful of the landowners. Please obtain permission and clean up after the fun.
blulitespecial: Are there any new companies looking at putting facilities or plants in the Emporia area? I know preliminary negotiations can't be made public for good reason,but it would nice to know if there is some activity and interest regarding jobs and possibly manufacturing.
Jeff Longbine: Kent Heermann continues to prospect for new businesses to locate in the Emporia area. The current recession has drastically slowed down expansions of plants nationally. The RDA stays in close contact with the Dept Of Commerce and consultants around the country. We want to be in a great position when the economy recovers. We have had the opportunity to work with alternative energy companies but have not found the right fit yet. A lot of these companies are start-ups so they require excessive incentives or existing buildings. We continue to work on commercial development including attending the International Shopping Center Convention which will be held next week. Kent Heermann, Matt Zimmerman, Jim Kessler and myself will be attending.
Moderator: And that's all the time we have for our chat today. Our thanks to Mayor Longbine for answering your questions. Come back tomorrow for a chat with Bob Driewer, CEO of Newman Regional Health. It also will be from 1:30 to 2 p.m.