ISSUE STATEMENTS

An aerial view of a river surrounded by trees and a bridge leading to a city.

Property Taxes

If you think your property taxes are too high, then you’re right. Lyon County has nearly the highest property taxes rates among our peer communities: 



  • Hays = 119 mills
  • Salina = 139 mills
  • McPherson = 145 mills 
  • Junction City = 146 mills
  • Pittsburg = 153 mills
  • Dodge city = 162 mills
  • Great Bend = 164 mills
  • Emporia= 169 mills 
  • Newton = 178 mills


I will work with you and other taxing authorities in Lyon County to find efficiencies. I cannot state this strongly enough: the City of Emporia cannot bring meaningful property tax relief alone. We have to especially work with the County to find ways we can partner and share expenses for services. I am committed to doing that work.

  • Why do my property taxes go up when the mill levy stays the same or even lowers?

    For 2026, the City was able to shave off some mill levy to fund next year’s budget, but you’ll notice your property taxes will still go up in 2026. Why is that? 


    If you own property, the good news is that your property continues to appreciate and increase in value. That’s why you invest in real estate, and your investments are growing in value. That’s a good thing. 


    The bad news is that with that increased value, your assessed valuation also increases. Those increases in value cause you to pay more tax. The higher the price, the higher the associated tax. 


    There are four taxing authorities for Emporia residents: USD 253 (34%), Lyon County (33%), City of Emporia (28%), and the Recreation Commission (5%). 


    Here’s an example scenario: 


    2024 home valuation = $100,000


    Assessed value (11.5%) = $11,500; Mill Levy = 169 mills (you pay 1/1000 or .169)


    Property tax: $11,500 x .169 = $1,943.50 


    • $660.79 toUSD 253
    • $641.36 toLyon County
    • $544.18 to the City of Emporia, and 
    • $97.17 to the Recreation Commission

    2025 home valuation = $115,000 home


    Assessed value = $13,225; Mill Levy = 168.5 mills (you pay 1/1000 or .1685; ½ mill less)


    Property tax: $13,225 x .1685 = $2,228.41


    • $757.66 to USD 253
    • $735.38 to Lyon County
    • $623.95 to the City of Emporia, and 
    • $111.42 to the Recreation Commission

    Bottom line: You are charged a ½ mill less year to year but still pay $284.91 more in tax

  • What’s driving higher prices for City services?

    In order to keep the budget flat or “revenue neutral,” deep cuts would have to be made to your basic services. Why? Because the cost of delivering current services is rising. 


    So what’s driving these increases? Several things, but I’ll mention a few: 


    • Cost of chemicals for the water treatment plant are four times more expensive than they were 10years ago (2015 = $532K, 2025 = $2.16M)
    • Cost of asphalt has risen 65% the last 10 years (2015 one mile of pavement = $1.7M; same mile in 2025 = $2.8M)
    • Cost of cement has doubled over 100% the last 10 years
    • Cost of equipment is up:
    • Price of a fire truck has nearly doubled from $475K to $900K 
    • Price of a trash truck is up 55% (jumped from $275K to $425K)
    • Health insurance premiums continue to rise and are going up over 30% next year alone for our City employee health insurance plan 

    Overall, the cost of labor, equipment, and materials are continuing to rise. 


    Plus, we are playing an expensive game of catch up. The costs of replacing aging infrastructure is coming due all at once, and decades of budgets have not included saving for future maintenance and replacement. While we have funded new infrastructure, we have not considered saving to maintain and replace what’s already in the ground. We cannot ignore these repairs when the infrastructure has deteriorated and broken. 


    The other area where we are playing catch-up is wages. Like all employers, the City of Emporia competes for talent. We want to both retain and recruit top talent. The cost of that talent has risen, and other communities are actively trying to recruit our talent away. In order to both retain and recruit talented people to serve the City, our salaries and benefits have to be competitive. 


    Since joining the City commission, I’ve supported over $27M worth of investment into infrastructure and over $4.5M of investment into salary pools for City employees. I’m committed to maintaining these investments while working to share services and drive costs down.

  • So what can we do?

    I could use your help with two things. 


    1.  Let me know what current services you can do without or with less of. And I’m serious. Tell me where you’d like us to cut. 

    • Perhaps you’re willing to have your trash picked up every other week. 
    • Maybe you’re okay with a few more potholes. 
    • Maybe you think we could lessen police patrol. 
    • Walking and biking trails are cheaper to build and maintain than roads. Are people willing to give up some drivable roads in exchange for more walking and biking paths that will cost less to build and require less to maintain? 

    I’m sincere in wanting to learn what services you can see us reducing or cutting altogether. 


    2.  We need to have a serious conversation in Lyon County about why our property taxes are so high. The City has been actively inviting other taxing authorities to engage in this dialogue to find efficiencies. While those taxing authorities include the school district and recreation commission, perhaps the most impactful efficiencies can be found between the City and County. 


    We found efficiencies with emergency dispatch and have consolidated dispatch services. Perhaps there are more related to law enforcement and emergency response? What about streets, roads, and bridges? Please encourage our fellow commissioners at the county and other taxing authorities to engage in this dialogue.


    You are invited to help me find efficiencies that can drive costs down. You and I can’t control insurance premiums and material costs, but we can find ways to make tax dollars stretch and can certainly look at ways to lower expenses by cutting services that citizens tell us they can do without. 


    Thank you for your feedback. I look forward to working with you and other governing officials to address these concerns.

A large brick building with a sign that says Newman Hospital

City Essential Services

Essential city services - like public safety and infrastructure - are delivered by the dedicated employees of the City of Emporia. Tyler is committed to ensuring the 350+ employees of the City of Emporia are paid a fair wage, provided with competitive benefits, and are resourced to do their jobs and perform their duties. Police, fire, water, sanitation, streets, engineering, building and neighborhood development, and the zoo along with the airport, facilities, finance, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), municipal golf course, HR, municipal court, parks, and planning & zoning provide essential services related to Emporia’s health, safety, and quality of life.


Tyler is focused on ensuring infrastructure maintenance continues to be a budgetary priority. These investments include maintaining the following:


  • 365 lane miles of streets (1% gravel, 1% asphalt over brick, 2% brick, 18% concrete, 77% asphalt);
  • 159 miles of watermains;
  • 143 miles of sanitary sewer mains; and
  • 75 miles (396,000 LF) of storm sewer.
  • 3.06 billion gallons of water annually (almost 8.4 million gallons of water each day).


With 37 inches of annual rainfall and over 109 million square feet of impervious surfaces (rooftops, driveways, parking lots, streets and sidewalks), Emporia’s storm system manages about 2.5 billion gallons of runoff each year—some through infrastructure over a century old. That rainfall enters into the City’s storm sewer system through drains in the streets and is carried by storm sewer pipes to the Cottonwood and Neosho Rivers at the edge of town. As extreme weather becomes more common, maintaining and upgrading this system is essential to prevent flooding and protect the community. 


In addition, Tyler is focused on ways to make our community both pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly. Improving sidewalks and enhancing bicycle lanes are a priority.

Emporians deserve to have confidence in the quality of both essential services and critical infrastructure. Tyler will continue his focus on this key area of city management. 

Health Care Statement

Emporia needs strong healthcare to support current residents, attract new ones, and drive growth. Our healthcare network—including Newman Regional Health, Stormont Vail Health, CrossWinds, CareArc, and others—must operate at a high level for Emporia to thrive.


Emporia is uniquely positioned with top-tier care through NRH’s partnerships with Lawrence Memorial Hospital and KU Med as well as SV’s ties to the Mayo Clinic and Children’s Mercy. This gives our community rare access to advanced healthcare close to home.



Stormont Vail’s investment in its Emporia clinic further strengthens our healthcare options and positions us as a potential regional healthcare hub. While the City doesn’t oversee healthcare directly, I’ll do all I can to support high-quality care for all residents.

  • Will Stormont Vail operate an ambulatory surgery center at their new clinic?

    Stormont Vail has shared that they have “no plans to operate a surgical center in Emporia, KS.” When the City annexed the land SV purchased (November, 2024), they agreed to a five-year moratorium on surgical services. Per the Development Agreement approved by the City Commission on June 4, 2025 (5-0 vote), there is a six-year moratorium on surgical services.

  • Why not exclude SV from ever offering surgical services?

    There are a couple considerations. 


    1. We can’t predict the future. If NRH is ever unable to meet demand, limiting SV’s ability to provide services would hurt the community. Collaboration with SV benefits both Emporia and the region.


    2. Kansas isn’t a Certificate of Need state, so communities like Emporia can’t legally require healthcare providers to prove demand before offering services. Local regulations could lead to legal challenges against the City for violating state law.

  • Are you supportive of a policy like a zoning text change to limit duplication of healthcare services?

    A. Yes, I am open to studying this issue. The initial zoning change predates my time on the commission. I am open, however, to exploring such a policy.


    Before any policy moves forward, the language does need to comply with state law. City Commissioners take an oath to uphold both federal and state law. City officials cannot pass ordinances or policies contrary to federal or state law. 


    Kansas is not a Certificate of Need state, meaning that while some states do require health care providers to justify demand when offering new services in geographic areas, Kansas is not one of them. 


    If the City Commission passes an ordinance or policy that is contrary to state law and that policy is challenged, then the process to determine the legality of the policy will be done in a court of law. 


    And who pays these legal fees? Taxpayers. Your property taxes and sales taxes would cover the City’s expenses incurred by fighting this battle in a court…or in courts…of law. At what cost? We do not know.


    It’s outside my jurisdiction as a City Commissioner to change state or federal law. I am willing to learn more and perhaps advocate for change at the state level, pending the results of that study, but I’m not willing to put a stake in the ground and dare someone to sue the City of Emporia, especially if our own City Attorney has advised against passing such policy. To me, that’s a misuse of my public power, our professional staff, and your tax dollars.

A large brick building with a sign that says Newman Hospital
A large brick building with a sign that says Newman Hospital

City Essential Services

Essential city services - like public safety and infrastructure - are delivered by the dedicated employees of the City of Emporia. Tyler is committed to ensuring the 350+ employees of the City of Emporia are paid a fair wage, provided with competitive benefits, and are resourced to do their jobs and perform their duties. Police, fire, water, sanitation, streets, engineering, building and neighborhood development, and the zoo along with the airport, facilities, finance, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), municipal golf course, HR, municipal court, parks, and planning & zoning provide essential services related to Emporia’s health, safety, and quality of life.


Tyler is focused on ensuring infrastructure maintenance continues to be a budgetary priority. These investments include maintaining the following:


  • 365 lane miles of streets (1% gravel, 1% asphalt over brick, 2% brick, 18% concrete, 77% asphalt);
  • 159 miles of watermains;
  • 143 miles of sanitary sewer mains; and
  • 75 miles (396,000 LF) of storm sewer.
  • 3.06 billion gallons of water annually (almost 8.4 million gallons of water each day).


With 37 inches of annual rainfall and over 109 million square feet of impervious surfaces (rooftops, driveways, parking lots, streets and sidewalks), Emporia’s storm system manages about 2.5 billion gallons of runoff each year—some through infrastructure over a century old. That rainfall enters into the City’s storm sewer system through drains in the streets and is carried by storm sewer pipes to the Cottonwood and Neosho Rivers at the edge of town. As extreme weather becomes more common, maintaining and upgrading this system is essential to prevent flooding and protect the community. 


In addition, Tyler is focused on ways to make our community both pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly. Improving sidewalks and enhancing bicycle lanes are a priority.

Emporians deserve to have confidence in the quality of both essential services and critical infrastructure. Tyler will continue his focus on this key area of city management. 

Economic Development Statement

Emporia’s growth depends on keeping current jobs and attracting new ones. To compete, we must support businesses of all sizes:

 

  • Entrepreneurs need training and resources to start and sustain.
  • Growing businesses need help scaling up and hiring.
  • Large businesses need workforce support and resources to expand.


I’ll work with local partners like RDA, Main Street, the Chamber, Emporia Enterprises, FHTC, ESU, and local governments to streamline economic development. By setting clear goals and tying funding to results, we’ll ensure public dollars drive real impact and raise household incomes.

  • Why did you vote in favor of authorizing the Mayor to send a letter to RDA?

    The time for change is now. I’ve been active in Emporia since 2010, and for over that decade and a half, leaders and reports—including those funded by the County and done by ESU as well as the most recent VisionFirst Advisors report—have called for economic development change and reform.


    VisionFirst’s recent study, funded by the City, emphasized that taxpayer dollars demand transparency, collaboration, and results. It called for selfless leadership and a clear, unified strategy driven by the City. The VisionFirst report called for change and reform.


    Despite these calls for change and reform, as of fall 2024, little had changed and not many reforms had even been discussed related to Emporia’s approach to economic development.


    So why change? Despite some success, our community is poorer than it was 30 years ago. Poverty is high, and wages lag far behind state and national averages. RDA’s own data shows population decline and low labor costs. That’s not a future we can accept. As a City Commissioner, I’m committed to helping lead the change Emporia needs.


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  • What are your thoughts on Emporia Enterprise?

    Emporia Enterprises (EE) has a rich history, originating in the 1950s when the “Committee of 50” raised $120,000 from 253 private citizens to acquire industrial land. This is a shining example of private investment for the public good. However, at that time, municipalities could not buy or hold industrial land, but today they can—making EE’s original purpose outdated.


    For the last 30 years, EE has been funded solely by the City of Emporia with no private investment. Since the creation of RDA in 1994, EE’s role shifted to supporting RDA’s efforts by offering land as an incentive. However, this creates an unnecessary step for businesses interested in coming to or expanding in Emporia.


    In 2024, VisionFirst Advisors recommended dissolving EE, concluding that it no longer adds value. Former leadership has acknowledged the challenge of creating meaningful agendas and noted that EE meetings often duplicate RDA discussions, wasting time and resources.


    Some argue EE serves as a training ground for RDA, but this is a weak justification for its continued existence. If we were designing an economic development system today, we likely wouldn’t create two separate entities with overlapping roles.


    Key questions remain: 

    • What independent purpose does EE serve? 
    • What metrics can EE alone drive to demonstrate its success? 
    • What value does EE uniquely offer?
    • If we were to create a system for economic development today from scratch, would we structure it the same way as it is structured today (i.e. create one organization like RDA to “proactively promote economic growth of the East Central Kansas region through commercial and industry recruitment, expansion, and training enhancements” and also create an organization like EE to “acquire land to help develop industrial parks with green field sites for light industrial manufacturing and warehouse/distribution development projects”)? Is that the way we would build an economic development model for today’s world?  

    Without clear answers, and having served on EE for five years, I’ve seen firsthand that it no longer drives economic outcomes.


    I respect EE’s legacy but agree with VisionFirst—EE is historically important but no longer necessary in today’s economic development landscape.


    Note: For a timeline of Emporia’s economic development highlights, click the button below.

    Economic Highlights
  • What’s happening now?

    Late in 2024, an Economic Advancement Committee was formed to make recommendations on how to implement suggestions made by VisionFirst. The team consisted of: 


    • City Commissioners: Tyler Curtis and Becky Smith
    • City Staff: Tayler Wash and Trey Cocking
    • Lyon County Commissioner: Kent Duft
    • Lyon County Staff: Dan Williams and Molly Priest
    • RDA: Kala Maxfield and Jim Witt (through January of 2025)
    • Chamber: Joey Lemay/Lisa Kirmer and Jeanine McKenna
    • Emporia Main Street: Aaron Otto, Jessica Buchholz, and Casey Woods
    • Emporia Enterprises: Justin Mallon/Kim Parks
    • Visit Emporia: Jennifer Wegener and LeLan Dains
    • ESU: Shane Shivley
    • FHTC: Caron Daugherty

    The team first defined economic development for Emporia and Lyon County as “Fostering growth, driving progress, and achieving prosperity for continuous advancement.” Growth includes population, business, industry, and education. Progress can be seen in new or renovated properties, while prosperity relates to income, knowledge, and quality of life.


    Consultant Kathy Sexton from WSU helped prioritize VisionFirst’s suggestions and provided recommendations to RDA and its partners in April 2025. The committee is working to finalize key performance indicators and dashboard templates to guide future evaluations, ensuring accountability and sparking valuable discussions on challenges and opportunities.


    I’m confident this groundwork will enable our next RDA President and CEO to drive meaningful change in regional economic development.

An aerial view of a river surrounded by trees and a bridge leading to a city.