EMPORIA (KSNT) – The Kansas general election is less than a week away, and Emporia voters will have several special questions on their ballots.
Some of these questions stem from citizen-led petitions. Supporters for both bans are concerned about the environmental impact, but opponents said both issues could limit future economic development in the area.
Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking is helped to explain what these questions mean.
The first question is the data center ban, which would ban high-impact data centers in the city for 10 years.
“A ‘yes’ vote would impose that ban for ten years, a ‘no’ vote, and would not impose that ban,” Cocking said. “And the city could consider looking at high impact data centers in the future.”
The next question is the battery electric storage system ban in the city.
“This would ban anything over 80 kilowatts in power from being anywhere in the city,” Cocking said. “Once again, this is a 10-year ban. So, yes, the city commission cannot repeal that for a 10-year period. A ‘no’ vote would not impose those restrictions.”
The third question on the ballot is a recreation center sales tax. It would add a quarter-cent sales tax and pay for renovating the current recreation center, building a new recreation center, two gyms and an aquatic center.
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Cocking said a ‘yes’ vote approves the sales tax and allows the projects to move forward. A ‘no’ vote rejects the sales tax and prevents those projects from being funded through that stream of revenue.
To find out more information about the ballot, click here.
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