On Wednesday, the Emporia City Commission will look at final revisions and likely vote on the proposed city residency policy.
The current policy states that city employees must live in Lyon County. Because of difficulty filling some job openings, department heads have asked to have the city policy changed.
The proposed city policy that has been discussed would allow the city manager to make exceptions to the current rule. The new policy states a position needs to be advertised for 60 days and, if there are no locally qualified applicants, then the city manager can approve a waiver if a qualified candidate is not willing to relocate. There would be no exceptions for department head positions, and it could not be applied to current employees.
We understand city department heads need the best employees possible, and it is their job to work with commissioners to make sure that can happen.
When taxpayers are funding these jobs, however, it only makes sense that people receiving the wages live in Lyon County. It doesn’t make sense for workers to take their wages and support another community an hour or two away. When city, county and government workers spend their paychecks in Lyon County, it provides a return on investment to the taxpayers.
Commissioners opening the door to change the policy is too bad. We believe they should keep the current policy in place. It would be a small step toward helping our community grow in population, expanding our tax base and reducing our tax burden.
Let’s look at an illustration. The USD 253 school district does not have a residency policy. The school district uses more than $33 million in taxpayer money to pay employee salaries and 21 percent of their employees live out of the 66801 zip code. Part of that number includes the Special Education cooperative which serves area schools and employees reside in those towns. But with that exception the majority of the money is lost dollars that are filling the coffers of other communities.
Let’s break the illustration down a little farther. The school district’s No. 2 person, Assistant Superintendent for Business Rob Scheib, makes $104,000 and lives in WaKeeney. He does have an apartment in Emporia that he lives in during the week but on Friday afternoon, Scheib drives almost four hours home where the bulk of his paycheck is likely spent.
When people live out of town, we not only lose dollars but also lose having community connections. Much networking, community contacts and friendships are built on weekends and at community events. For instance, the current superintendent, Theresa Davidson, spends her weekends attending all types of school events including sporting events, musical performances, school productions, etc. This involvement builds community support, and we appreciate her efforts.
We don’t want Emporia to become a commuter community where a mass exodus begins at 5 p.m. We want our town to be a community of people who live, work and play in Emporia.
Having workers who are paid with taxpayer dollars live in Lyon County just makes financial sense. We encourage the city commissioners to keep their current residency policy, and we ask the county commissioners and the school district to study their policies to make sure they benefit the taxpayers and the community.
Chris Walker
Editor & Publisher
NancyHorst (Nancy Horst) says...
One clarification - 21% of our employees live outside the 66801 zip code, which closely aligns with USD253 boundaries. Many of those 21% actually live in Lyon County but outside of the district.
November 2, 2010 at 11:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
That is interesting Chris. Perhaps the school board should make it mandatory for employees and their families to live within the district they are employed in?
November 2, 2010 at 12:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Sorry Steve, but I see a huge problem with having to live within the district. Living in the district may mean moving for some teachers who live out of district. Since contracts are only for one year, what is the chance you may not get hired again the following year? Here you've spent all that money on a move. What then? It's not worth it. That is a very unfair expectation.
November 2, 2010 at 12:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Shock of all shocks....ole biscuit is uncharacteristically unsure what he believes about this one. Chris makes a lot of good points in his editorial, and my heart tells me he is on the right path.
create however brings up other valid points causing me to think she is right in the unworkability of Chris's idea.
I remember when I lived in Houston years ago I drove about the distance between here and Topeka to work and back. Even so I also worked in Houston. Hire local policies obviously have a better chance of working in larger cities than they do in small towns. As much as I would like to see the money being paid here stay here.....I'm not sure such an idea is feasible in a place like Emporia.
As is often the case, I am just glad I am not the one having to actually make the decision. It's one of those lose--lose deals where you are damned if you do and damned if you don't
November 2, 2010 at 1:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
For what it is worth, here is my two cents worth on the subject of using City taxpayer supported funds for paying " Public Employees of the City " , whether they be City Manager, Trash Truck Driver or " EMPORIA PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER or SUPERINTENDANT OF EMPORIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS OR EMPORIA PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER " ! If all of the previous or any public employee of the City of Emporia is paid with City Of Emporia taxpayer funds, then those Employees should be a resident of the City or County that is paying them with funds from taxes collected within the City or County !
After all, isn' t hiring someone who lives outside the taxbase that pays them a form of " Outsourcing ", which most of us oppose in the first place ?
If it is going to become common practice to hire people who live outside a Citys' or Countys' tax base, then do away with the designation of City of Emporia Employee, County Employee or even the terminology, Emporia Public Schools and just call them Employees or just Schools and be satisified with your tax dollars paying non-residents, who are paying property taxes in some other city or county, because the only tax they pay that may be supporting the City will be the City sales tax, if and when they make a purchase within the City or county, which will amount to 8.8% of whatever the cost of the purchase they may make .
JMO
I can hear feathers being ruffled already !
November 2, 2010 at 2:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
doubt_it (anonymous) says...
I am going to have to agree with Methusla on this one. If the employees are going to live out of the city and even out of the county, then they should not have the title of a City Employee or a County Employee. If we pay them with our tax dollars, then they should be residing in the city or at least the county from which they are paid. Even public school employees, teachers, superintendants, board members, etc, should live in the city/county. I understand where Create is coming from saying it's a big expense to move here with the promise of a 1 year position and may not be rehired the next year, but isn't that the chance you take with any employment? Just because you are hired on any job, doesn't mean it will last past that first day. Get real people. Out of town/county employees have a tendency to not show up for work if the weather is bad, too.
November 2, 2010 at 2:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Well, if not within the district, at least within the county.
Example:
The school district’s No. 2 person, Assistant Superintendent for Business Rob Scheib, makes $104,000 and lives in WaKeeney. He does have an apartment in Emporia that he lives in during the week but on Friday afternoon, Scheib drives almost four hours home where the bulk of his paycheck is likely spent.
A prime example of someone who doesn't pay property taxes here, why should he care about the districts budget being kept down so the average taxpayer HERE can make it?
November 2, 2010 at 2:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NancyHorst (Nancy Horst) says...
Thank you, Chris, for making the change above as per my clarification.
Based on the comments so far, it should be noted that a large share of the district's budget is paid by taxpayers outside Lyon County. About 10% of our general fund comes from USD253 taxpayers. The remaining 90% comes from counties that pay more in taxes than the school districts are allowed to spend. We all pay 20 mills on our homes and businesses, regardless of our county of residence, and the money goes to the state to be distributed to the individual districts. This is part of the complex nature of school finance that makes the residency situation unique. Because a mill raises more in other counties, such as Coffey County, those taxpayers share in the cost of operating schools in districts such as ours.
Finally, in the spirit of full disclosure, I live in a neighboring county and have commuted to work in Emporia for more than 18 years. I also support Emporia businesses by purchasing the majority of goods and services for my home in Emporia.
November 2, 2010 at 3:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
If Brownquack has his way we will once again be paying the lion's share of our district's operating cost before too long......while districts like Coffey county will be rolling in the big bucks.
November 2, 2010 at 4:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
I can only say, in response to what Nancy Horst says about the school finance situation being described as a complex finance situation, is this. The situation needs to made less complex and alot of the hands that are in the " dough " so to speak , need to be cut off, in other words, get the politicians the " Hell " out of lthe equation !
No wonder there is a problem ! Whenever you mix politicians with large sums of public, taxpayer money, the result will not be " PIE or CAKE " ! What you will get is a fight over who will get the biggest piece of the " PIE OR CAKE " and there will always be a problem !
November 2, 2010 at 4:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sail (anonymous) says...
WHAT does the # 3 AND #4 make, the board office is like a spoiled child, give me give me is all we here. Teachers and the classroom aids carry the water while the board office sits on the porch and schemes on ways of getting ever more money for the plantation.
November 2, 2010 at 4:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
sail.....
That's the American Way buddy. Corporate CEO's make an average of 400 times what their grunts make. At least the school administrators are only make three or four times as much.
November 2, 2010 at 4:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
Do crocodiles weep in order to lure their prey, or are they crying for the victims they are eating?
All of the surrounding communities lost their federal and state offices (along with the positions they employed) when they were consolidated to the city of Emporia. Protectionism is quite unbecoming. jmo
November 2, 2010 at 5:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
People are always quick to complain about school administrators and politicians salaries saying...."That money is coming out of my taxpayer pocket."....and that is true....it is. But you don't think that sixty to seventy million dollars a year that corporate CEO receives isn't included in the price of your new combine? You better think again.
November 2, 2010 at 5:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
"Out of town/county employees have a tendency to not show up for work if the weather is bad, too."
Ouch. I must argue with this position. For 20 years I taught English at Olpe High and lived here in Emporia. Most of my colleagues did the same. Not once were any of us late or absent because of weather. In fact, the real treachery came with driving across Emporia, notorious for not cleaning or even de-icing the streets. Once we passed the Cottonwood Bridge, the white-knuckle driving was over because 99 is a state highway and crews were out before dawn making sure that highway was safe.
I can honestly say that as a homeowner in Emporia, my salary was spent here in USD 253 on prop taxes and on everyday living expenses as well.
November 2, 2010 at 5:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hickory (anonymous) says...
Chis.....conduct a survey and find out how many people live in Emporia and travel somewhere else to work. You might be surprised. They are spending another communities money right here in Emporia. Have you ever thought about that?
November 2, 2010 at 5:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
People that are good employees and want to get to work will get there despite great hardships. The one's that call in every time you get two snowflakes on a brick are the same ones that have buried half a dozen grandmothers in the past two years. And the slackers will call in whether they live across the street or in the next county.
November 2, 2010 at 5:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporian (anonymous) says...
My father in law drove from topeka to burlington everyday to work for 20+ years. My brother in law makes the same drive. The notion that out of town folks are unreliable is totally bogus. Heck you can live in Miller and be further away than someone who lives acorss the line in Chase or Coffey counties. Good employees are good employees regardless of the drive.
November 2, 2010 at 8:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )