Tag: TIF


  • From Information to Transparency

    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…

  • 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝟏% 𝐂𝐈𝐃 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲?⁣

    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…

  • Would This Project Have Happened Anyways?

    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,…

  • No Taxation Without Information

    𝐍𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧⁣⁣If 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…

  • The Tax Rate Went Down. Did Your Tax Bill?

    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…

  • One City Stands Out

    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…

  • CID vs. TIF

    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…

  • “No Taxation Without Representation.”

    “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…

  • 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩 –  𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟑𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔⁣

    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: 9/10⁣⁣Another proposed Community Improvement District (CID) is moving through the public process in Lenexa.⁣⁣𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬:⁣

  • Legal Record Recap – June 23, 2026

    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…

  • Legal Record – June 16th, 2026

    This Week’s 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝: Mostly Repeats⁣⁣Not much new in this week’s Johnson County public notices.⁣⁣📍 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 (𝐂𝐈𝐃)⁣⁣Transparency: 7.5/10 | Legality: 9/10⁣⁣Lenexa 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,…