Vote For Don Loux

My campaign goals are to make Emporia a better place to live and to attract people, especially retirees, to move here. Since the 2000 census Emporia has been losing population and the tax burden is being paid by a shrinking number of people. We must reverse this trend. Besides having a balanced budget, Emporia has reached a state where we need to proactively take actions that improve the quality of life to make Emporia a more desirable place to live and attract new community members. There must be a long-term development plan. I believe that these are important to the success of Emporia:

• Build public storm shelters especially in areas near vulnerable housing such as trailer parks and ensure that any new public buildings include a storm shelter for nearby residents.

• Create quiet zones for trains. It is documented that train noise contributes to long-term health problems including psychological effects such as annoyance, speech interference, adverse effects on cognitive task performance and recreational activities. Physiologically it can cause hearing impairment and loss, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular effects and mental health effects. [General Health Effects of Transportation Noise, Federal Railroad Administration, Report Number DOT/FRA/ORD-03/01] Quiet zones are expensive but any action we take may last for decades.

• Improve city parks to include a minimum amount of fireplaces, picnic tables and playground equipment at each park so they can be used more for sports and recreation. City parks should each have a comparable number of amenities.

• Enlarge and improve the municipal airport through the Kansas Airport Improvement Program to make the facility more useful to area businesses. Alternatively, selling the airport and/or golf course so they are not a continuing drain on the city’s finances. From 1/1/2023 through 8/31/2025 the airport’s expenses have exceeded revenue by $472,589.61 and the golf course’s expenses have exceeded revenue by $594,765.36 Neither facility offers much to the average Emporian. There must be a public discourse on how to proceed with both facilities.

• Improve the noise ordinance stronger penalties for those who disturb the peace at social events or from moving vehicles. The police department must have the ability to take progressive actions to shut down noisy activities. People should no longer hear noise from parties at night that are blocks away nor should they be exposed to loud noise such as vehicles, music, etc. during the daytime.

• Promote events that bring visitors to Emporia such as a busker festival, firefighter festival, comedy festival, a revival of the Twin Rivers Festival, food truck events with entertainment, etc. to join current events such as homecoming and Christmas parades, Cinco de Mayo events, antique auto displays, etc.

• Make a comprehensive review of our water distribution and drainage system and streets so that problems can be identified and fixed proactively with the Engineering Department should putting on periodic presentations to update interested parties.

• Strengthen animal control measures by requiring owners to promptly provide proof of vaccination in case of injuries and the ensuring that city has sufficient personnel to capture stray animals.

• Reach out to chain restaurants to promote Emporia as a place to open a restaurant by providing an information packet to tout the benefits of doing business here.

• We need an effective snow removal plan so the poor results from January and February of this year are not repeated. We need to cross-train city employees so that they are available on a voluntary overtime basis to get the streets cleared. Contract with private companies to back up our public works so they are available when needed. Sufficient equipment must be available and it must be in working order. We need marked snow emergency routes that must be cleared of parked vehicles and traffic to enable crews to respond and remove snow promptly.

• The city’s website could be improved so that it serves as a seamless link between citizens and the government. For example, if there is a water leak on a city street, the website lists phone numbers to call. Citizens should be able to report a concern such as water leaks, loose animals, dangerous sidewalks, code violations, etc. on the website and have the concern transmitted to the appropriate department for further action with a follow-up contact made to the person who reported the concern if requested. The new CivicGov Portal seems to be a step in the right direction concerning permits but not for code violations since most people would not want their name linked to reporting a code violation. It should not be necessary to create an online account to report a code violation.

• Expand the community alerts section of the city’s MyAlerts Mobile Application to include trash and recycling reminders, police training events, etc.

• Expand the city’s pickup system to provide a container for yard waste. Many people do not have a vehicle suitable for bringing grass clippings, tree limbs, etc. to the landfill. It is not difficult to find tree limbs that have been in people’s yards for month. The city should also collect branches, limbs and other heavy yard waste after a storm and residents have moved the fallen items to the curb for pickup. The city should coordinate with the county to offset the cost by selling compost from yard waste.

• Change the city fireworks ordinance so that the use of fireworks is limited to three days- the Fourth of July and the days before and after.

• We need to attract new residents as well as new jobs. All new residents do not need a job. Retirees are ideal because they bring tax money into the community while not necessarily requiring expenses for public schools. Emporia is an ideal location for military retirees specifically. It is between the commissaries and post exchanges of Fort Leavenworth and McConnell Air Force Base. Space-available flights at Forbes Field Air National Guard Base and McConnell Air Force Base are nearby incentives for military retirees. The city needs to advertise the benefits of living in Emporia to attract new residents.

• Create a city department to promote Emporia as a good location for businesses and retirees and to organize events that bring people here. (See above.) Currently, any promotion is handled by several private organizations. There are too many cooks in the kitchen. Having a city department for economic and population growth and events would make it its main job. It could create an information packet to send to businesses to explain the benefits of opening a business here. The department could also research grants and other types of financial assistance that are available and keep the public informed on which grants are available and how to apply for them. Now Emporians are on their own when it comes to finding grants they could use to improve their property. Any property improvement can result in a higher property tax for the improved property.

• Our downtown needs work. Frequently there are few pedestrians and little traffic. Growing downtown as a place to live would bring life back to the area. A comparison of a Saturday afternoon in Lawrence with one in Emporia shows how important having downtown residents is. As an example, the former Poehler Mercantile Company warehouse in Lawrence is a four-story apartment building that serves as the anchor of the Warehouse Arts District. Ours is a storage facility. We must review any city code section that might work to dissuade building owners from renovating second stories of downtown buildings into residential units or add cost to such construction projects.

• Review city ordinances concerning building construction and renovations that add expenses to the cost of building or renovating property such as the requirement that certified/licensed contractors from outside Emporia must be certified and/or licensed and bonded with the City of Emporia. A contractor from outside Emporia should merely be required to provide a copy of the outside certification and license to the building department with payment of a registration fee.

• We must work with our local state representatives to have Kansas Statute 79-2801 (Action to Enforce Lien for Unredeemed Real Estate Bid in by County; Summons; Service by Publication; Assistance by City in Foreclosure Proceedings, When) revised so that the period required before a property with delinquent taxes can be sold must be shortened. The statute was last revised in 2001. We unfortunately have limited liability corporations in the city that have a business model of not paying delinquent taxes for three years.

• Consider coordinating with a native Americans group under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988 to construct a casino in Emporia. Our city is between Topeka, Kansas City and Wichita. Per the Kansas Department of Transportation’s traffic count maps (the latest on its website) some 15,000-18,000 vehicles pass through Emporia both on I-335 and I-35 daily. Our city badly needs jobs and the traffic passing through Emporia should bring in enough customers to support a casino in addition to the local persons who would live within commuting distance.

• Explore city-county merger as cost-saving and taxation equality measures. The city and county already operate a combined ambulance service and emergency communication center. The city pays for the entire cost of the ambulance service while the county pays nothing. Lyon County has facilities in Emporia such as the fairground, courthouse and sheriff's office. Consolidation leads to increased efficiency by eliminating duplicate services and reducing the overall government workforce. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, has been a consolidated government since 1997. The Unified Government of Greeley County has been in effect since 2009. Consolidating allowed the unified governments to increase efficiency, improve accountability, increase government resources and enhance planning and land development.

• Explore creating a full-service campground (not for recreational vehicles) near the Neosho or Cottonwood river to attract tourist dollars. The city operated a successful campground in the 1920s.

• Ensure that the city has sufficient personnel to promptly investigate all rental property complaints and take action to resolve the verified problems.

• Establish an annual gun buyback program to encourage residents to turn in unwanted firearms.

• Work with the police department to establish a neighborhood watch program to prevent crime through National Neighborhood Watch.

• Lastly, historic preservation benefits the community. Historic buildings bring visitors and their money into the community. The Regal Plumb, the Carnegie Library, Morse Hall, brick streets, Red Rocks and historic churches all are attractions to tourists who enjoy history and would use our restaurants and hotels. By preserving the creations of our ancestors, we honor their work and achievements. The Carnegie Library must not be allowed to continue to deteriorate. If the city will not pay for a renovation for city use, it should be sold for a minimal amount with covenants that it be restored to become a tax-paying property.

Personally, I have lived in Emporia for four years. My wife, Janice Nesler-Loux, and I have have been married 40 years. She owns the 4th Avenue Confectionery and the 4th Avenue Thrift Store in her building at the intersection of Commercial Street and East Fourth Avenue. She is the president of the Board of Directors of the Emporia Senior Center. We live with our upstairs cat Athena and our downstairs cat Razz. Athena and Razz are not friends.

I operate two groups on Facebook: Emporia, Kansas History and Emporia, Kansas Commerce. The first one is self-explanatory. The second lists garage sales, estate sales and auctions for the upcoming weekend. I also include library book sales, community events and updates on the bingo prizes at the senior center.

I support the construction of a natrium nuclear reactor in Lyon County. Nuclear power is safe and clean. Construction would provide jobs to turn Emporia’s population downward spiral around and add a taxable asset to the county that could be used to prevent property tax increases.

To encourage more participation in city government, I would propose that a percentage of city commission meetings be held in the evening so that citizens who work in the daytime can attend and provide input.