The Regional Development Association will be the “lead agency” in bringing retail to Emporia — but Emporia’s downtown may get a voice on the RDA board.
Emporia city commissioners voted unanimously to make the RDA the point agency Wednesday, expanding the role of what is already the city’s main industrial recruiter. The RDA would help market the city, gather information and be a common point of contact for local commercial entities.
Commissioner Jeff Longbine emphasized that the RDA wanted to assist the efforts of entities such as Emporia Main Street and the Flinthills Mall, but not replace them.
“I don’t see the RDA or Kent (Heermann, RDA director) interfering in any way,” Longbine said. “I see him and RDA assisting them upon request. I certainly don’t see him changing their focus and their mission.”
The commission also asked the RDA to put Emporia Main Street’s director on the board as a nonvoting member. At an earlier meeting, Commissioner Kevin Nelson had pushed for voting rights while Longbine said it would set an awkward precedent to put Main Street on the board at all.
City Manager Matt Zimmerman said Wednesday’s proposal represented a compromise.
“It just gives them a little more of a stake in the process without giving them a vote,” City Manager Matt Zimmerman.
“Well, I would be willing to compromise on that,” Kessler said.
The others agreed as well, though Longbine said he wasn’t sure what would happen if the RDA refused to make the change.
The RDA’s voting members include two city representatives, two county representatives, a chamber member, an Emporia Enterprises member, and an at-large position that in recent years has been held by the president of Emporia State University.
The commercial division also includes an 11-member volunteer group that would do much of the groundwork, discussing leads and strategies. That group includes one representative each from Emporia Main Street, Flinthills Mall, Emporia State University, the Small Business Development Center, the Sixth Avenue corridor, the city zoning office, the RDA, the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce, Lyon County, Emporia Enterprises, and one entrepreneur or commercial person.
The proposal was approved 13 months ago by a commercial development task force but pretty much remained on the back burner until this spring. Longbine, Nelson and Commissioner Bobbie Agler were all on the task force.
Commissioners also said they would hold a public meeting in 18 months to review how well the arrangement was working and what if anything needed to be changed.
“Good,” Kessler said after the final vote. “We can start moving forward.”