City applies for $750,000 to build road, utilities for biodiesel plant
By Scott Rochat
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Emporia will apply for a $750,000 state grant to build a road and utilities for the proposed new biodiesel plant.
City commissioners voted Wednesday to request the money from the Community Development Block Grant fund, a program of the Kansas Department of Commerce. The money would be used for a road, sewer line, stormwater system and water line.
The plant will also need a gas line that Assistant City Manager Mark McAnarney estimated at $700,000 to $800,000. The city will put up the up-front costs on the line, but a portion of it will be repaid by the biodiesel company.
City officials estimated that building the infrastructure would create 22 jobs.
Renewable Energy Group, an Iowa company, plans to build the biodiesel plant this summer on a site just east of Norfolk Iron and Metal. Last week, city planners recommended rezoning the site to heavy industrial for the purpose of the plant. The city commission will vote on the zoning at its 7 p.m. May 16 meeting, 518 Mechanic St.
If the commission does not approve the zoning, the grant will be rescinded.
Camoplast
The commission approved a five-year tax break for $750,000 of equipment purchased by Camoplast Rockland last year as part of its expansion.
The equipment is the last piece of a $3.7 million expansion that Camoplast began in 2005. Most of that project has already been tax-exempted, but these last items weren’t acquired until the first half of 2006.
Since the items were acquired before July 1, 2006, they do not qualify for a permanent tax exemption that the state approved for new business machinery.
In other action, commissioners:
• Awarded bids for paving, sewer and water for the Greenwood Addition in eastern Emporia. The water line was awarded to Carter-Shown Construction for $10,747, to be paid by the developer. The paving bid went to Killough Construction of Ottawa for $185,092 and the sewer line to Matador Construction of Lane for $35,911, with both of those items paid by city bonds.
• Accepted an Emergency Shelter Grant from the state, with $9,000 going to SOS to help pay for a shelter manager and $9,000 to Plumb Place for general operations. The city got $474 for its role in administering the grant.
• Chose SilverStone Group of Omaha to perform a study on the city’s requirements under GASB45, the federal rules for reporting post-employment benefits other than pensions. Under its contract, SilverStone is not to exceed $5,200 for its study and $1,350 for a meeting to review its results with the city.
• Appointed Tom Myers, Steve Ihde and Marilyn Hall to the Human Relations Commission. Ihde and Hall are returning members, while Myers will be serving his first term.
• Clarified the appointment of Commissioner Kevin Nelson to the Emporia Recreation Commission. Nelson will finish Tom Myers’ unexpired term until it runs out on July 1. At that point, Nelson will serve in his own right.
• Named Commissioner Jim Kessler to the Joint Economic Development Advisory Council as the city’s representative. Commissioner Jeff Longbine, who represents the Regional Development Association on JEDAC until July 1, said he would not attend his remaining meetings to keep JEDAC from violating open meetings laws. If two city commissioners attend a meeting together, the public and the media must be notified.
• Proclaimed May 12 through May 20 as “National Tourism Week.”
In addition, City Manager Matt Zimmerman announced that the city and county would hold a joint emergency exercise on May 18. The specific nature of the exercise will not be released until then.
“If you see a bunch of emergency personnel running around, it’s an exercise,” Zimmerman said.
rcr (anonymous) says...
HMM Approving the infrastructure before the zoning. How much more ludicrous can this process be.
Talk about an overt sign that this was a done deal before it even went to vote!
What in the world has happened to the Zoning process in this town. So much for Zoning being meant to protect property owners. Why even wait for the City Commission meeting to vote? Go ahead and announce the results before the meeting.
May 2, 2007 at 4:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mds (anonymous) says...
"The plant will also need a gas line that Assistant City Manager Mark McAnarney estimated at $700,000 to $800,000. The city will put up the up-front costs on the line, but a portion of it will be repaid by the biodiesel company."
I'd like to see the amount that they have to repay. It seems the City is going all out for this plant that will employ only 20 or so people.
May 2, 2007 at 5:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
food4thought (anonymous) says...
Well here we go again. Lets give these companies a tax break so that in ten yrs or so when they have to start paying taxes they will leave and go somewhere else. Lets again put the tax burden on the tax payer. We are taxed to death in this city and county. When do we get out TAX BREAK?
May 3, 2007 at 9:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mythoughts (anonymous) says...
I bet they need to apply for more than one grant. What other costs have we not heard about? Is $700,000 going to cover the total cost for building the roads and utilities? Where will the $800,000 up front for a gas line be paid from? What portion will biodiesel repay the city? Those "22 jobs created" aren't actually permanent jobs--they're only good for the duration of the road/utility project, right? Don't get me wrong, we need the business, but we also need to BENEFIT from the business in EXCESS of our cost in obtaining the business.
I wish I could build a new house and have the city put in--at their cost--the sewer, driveway, gas and electrical, oh, and a heated in-ground pool, too.
May 3, 2007 at 12:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
I would like a tax break also. It seems the county keeps raising our taxes to support what they think we need. Why do we not get the same type of deals. This town is driving more and more people away because of their stupid zoning issues and other things that are not brought before the public. Emporia has always been known for being run by those that think they are smarter than the average person, but it seems to me they are just a bunch of sneaks.Help me out snake!!!!
May 3, 2007 at 2:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
vankamp (anonymous) says...
I agree this is putting the cart before the horse. I suggest everyone go to the commission meeting on May 16th and let them know what we think of them railroading it down our throats. Of course it was in the paper that all the new commissioners were from the west side of town. Maybe they would rather it was in their neighborhood. Two weeks ago it was going to creat 30 jobs and now 22. I think they need to slow things down and get the opionion of the public. Is anyone getting a petition up?
May 3, 2007 at 4:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rcr (anonymous) says...
A protest petition would at least require a "Super Majority" of the commission to pass the Zoning issue. Of course, given their actions, that is a done deal anyway. Open Meeting law problem?
It is disgusting that they are voting for the infrastructure before approving Zoning.
May 3, 2007 at 4:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
What would a protest petition look like?
How many signatures does it take to get one on the ballot?
May 3, 2007 at 5:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
vankamp (anonymous) says...
I would like to know why everytime there is a good discussion online, the Gazette moves the story to a back page?
May 3, 2007 at 8:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
Emporia is a dead town already. People better wake up and smell the roses before it really blows away. We have already had to hire a person in the enviroment services department from another county which no one wants to answer WHY. Of course, the ones who hired her do not know poop from shineola anyway so what do they care. We are a minority in this town and getting fewer of us all the time because of thing like this. Do you think the real American will get any of these jobs?
May 4, 2007 at 10:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
Sorry, I just have to make another comment to make my day. The businesses in this town are finding out that the Somalians are all giving the same address and birthday. No response when they are sent a bill. Have you had the privilidge of driving behind them in town? Scary!!!!
May 4, 2007 at 10:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
glarson (anonymous) says...
Dear Vankamp,
Sorry for the delayed response, but I've been out of the office. As to your question about The Gazette moving the stories with good discussions... That's a function of the Web site. As each day's stories are added, older stories move down the story list.
You can still find the hot discussion topics with the link on the right-hand side of the home page. And it seems that those who are participating in the discussions continue to check them. I've been amazed how long some of these discussions have gone on.
Thanks for the question,
Gwen Larson
Managing Editor
May 7, 2007 at 6:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
vankamp (anonymous) says...
Thank you for the response Gwen. I was able to find the discussions after some searching.
May 7, 2007 at 3:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )