Tag: Development Incentives
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When this series started, I asked a simple question: Could you identify every Community Improvement District in Lenexa? Most of us couldn’t. Not because the information isn’t public, but because it’s scattered across ordinances, development agreements, budget documents, legal notices, agenda packets and years of City Council meetings. Finding a clear answer often means knowing exactly…
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We’ve spent the last several posts talking about Community Improvement Districts (CIDs). But percentages can be hard to picture, so let’s put one into real dollars.Imagine a family of four spending about $300 a week on groceries. That’s about $15,600 a year.If that grocery store is in a 1% CID, the family pays about $156…
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𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑: Residents can comment on the FY2027 budget tonight at the Lenexa City Council meeting. Not sure what to say? Take a look at our questions below!The latest FY2027 budget update includes 12 pages of citizen questions and responses from City staff in this weeks City Council packet.The City addressed conservative budgeting, years of favorable…
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📍 LENEXA CITY COUNCIL — TUESDAY, AUGUST 18 There is a lot on Tuesday night’s City Council agenda. We’re leaving the FY2027 budget out of this post because that deserves its own discussion. Looking through everything else, here are the items we think deserve the most attention and the questions we still have. 1. City…
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Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts were created to encourage redevelopment, improve infrastructure and help make projects financially feasible that might not otherwise happen. That makes sense for aging shopping centers, vacant land or areas in need of revitalization. But many of Lenexa’s incentive districts are located in busy commercial corridors,…
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𝐍𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧If someone asked you yesterday to point out every Community Improvement District (CID) and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district in Lenexa… could you?That’s why this map matters.Every highlighted area represents a public financing tool that has shaped development in our city. Many are places we shop, eat, stay or drive by every…
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Lenexa frequently highlights its repeated mill-levy reductions. That is accurate… but a lower tax rate does not automatically mean a lower tax bill. A mill levy is the tax rate applied to a property’s assessed value. When property values rise faster than the mill levy falls, the City can lower the rate and still collect…
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𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩 | 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟒 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟏A relatively quiet couple of weeks in the Legal Record, but there are still a few items worth noting.𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲: 9/10 | 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 10/10No new action here… this is simply the final publication of the bid notice before bids are opened on July…
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One City Stands Out. Last week we learned what Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts are. Today, let’s look at how often they’re actually used. Community Improvement Districts aren’t unique to Lenexa. Cities throughout Johnson County use them to encourage redevelopment and help fund public improvements. But when we started comparing…
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CID vs. TIF What’s the difference… and why should you care? If you’ve ever attended a City Council meeting, you’ve probably heard the terms CID and TIF tossed around like everyone knows what they mean.The truth? Most of us don’t. Here’s the simple version. A Community Improvement District (CID) adds an additional sales tax within…
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“No Taxation Without Representation.” Most Americans recognize the phrase. It helped spark the American Revolution and reminds us that taxation and public accountability have long gone hand in hand. Fast forward nearly 250 years. Today, you can shop at one business in Lenexa and pay one sales tax rate… then drive a few minutes away…
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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 | 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟔The proposals to read closely are Items 1 and 7. If you are in West Lenexa… Item 7 is one you need to know about!𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝟏. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 📍8700 Ryckert StreetThe mixed-use project in City Center is back after being approved by…
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A lighter week in the Legal Record, but one item continues a trend we’ve been watching.🛍️ 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 (𝐂𝐈𝐃)Transparency: 7.5/10 | Legality: 9/10Another proposed Community Improvement District (CID) is moving through the public process in Lenexa.𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬:
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Last week was fairly quiet in the Legal Record with several repeat publications. Here’s what stood out: 1️⃣ Westchester Square CIDTransparency: 7.5/10 | Legality: 9/10 The proposed Community Improvement District (CID) for Westchester Square continues through the required publication process. Key Points: 2️⃣ Ordinance 6060 – Medical & Dental ClinicsTransparency: 8/10 | Legality: 10/10 Updates…
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This Week’s 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝: Mostly RepeatsNot much new in this week’s Johnson County public notices.📍 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 (𝐂𝐈𝐃)Transparency: 7.5/10 | Legality: 9/10Lenexa continues publication of the proposed Westchester Square CID at 87th Street and Pflumm. The CID would allow an additional 1% sales tax for up to 22 years to fund redevelopment,…
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𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬, 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟔 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐚 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟔 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚If you only read the agenda summary, this meeting looks relatively routine. A deeper look tells a different story. Here’s a breakdown of each agenda item and what residents need to be aware of.𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝟏.…