[CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:03] PLEASE JOIN ME FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. JENNIFER, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? THANK YOU MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBER HANDLEY. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER EITERICH. COUNCIL MEMBER CHARLTON IS ABSENT. COUNCIL MEMBER NICKS. COUNCIL MEMBER BELL. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMSON. COUNCIL MEMBER DENNY. COUNCIL MEMBER HERRON. MAYOR SAYERS IS PRESENT AND PRESIDING. THANK YOU, JENNIFER. ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE DRAFT MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 20TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING? [APPROVE MINUTES] HEARING NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. MOTION BY AVERY, SECOND BY CHELSEA. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. MINUTES ARE APPROVED. JENNIFER ANY MODIFICATIONS THIS EVENING? NONE THIS EVENING. THANK YOU. UP FIRST TONIGHT WE HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD. [APPOINTMENT] PUT A MEMO IN YOUR PACKET RECOMMENDING SHARON RICE, WHO IS HERE TO SAY HELLO THIS EVENING. THIS WOULD BE HER FIRST TIME VOLUNTEERING FOR A CIVIC BOARD OR COMMISSION. BUT IS A LONGTIME RESIDENT AND TRAIL USER, SO SHE'S JUST A AVID PARKS LOVER AND EXCITED TO JOIN THE BOARD. SO UNLESS ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL TAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE HER APPOINTMENT. MOTION BY BILL, SECOND BY CHELSEA. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? WELCOME TO THE PARK BOARD. I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF PRESENTATIONS THIS EVENING. UP FIRST WE'LL HEAR FROM THE LENEXA EDC. HELLO, ASHLEY. [PRESENTATIONS] WELL GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. I'M ASHLEY SHERARD, CEO OF THE LENEXA CHAMBER AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. AND AS ALWAYS, I'M PLEASED TO BE HERE TO SHARE THE SECOND OF OUR SEMIANNUAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REPORTS ABOUT WHAT'S GONE ON SO FAR IN 2026. AND AS USUAL, I'D LIKE TO START WITH JUST ACKNOWLEDGING THE BROADER ECONOMIC CONTEXT THAT'S REALLY SURROUNDED DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT SO FAR THIS YEAR. I'LL START WITH THE GOOD NEWS, WHICH IS ON A POSITIVE NOTE, THE GDP, THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT THAT WHICH IS CONSIDERED A FUNDAMENTAL INDICATOR OF THE NATION'S ECONOMIC HEALTH HAS BEEN STEADY, SUPPORTED PRIMARILY BY VERY RESILIENT CONSUMER SPENDING AS WELL AS INVESTMENTS IN AI AND TECH INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH YOU'VE PROBABLY BEEN FOLLOWING IN THE MEDIA. AND THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT SUSTAINED GDP GROWTH HELPS TO PROMOTE DEMAND FOR COMMERCIAL INVESTMENT. SO THAT'S BEEN VERY GOOD. BUT I THINK WE ALL KNOW AT THE SAME TIME, 2026 HAS ALSO PRESENTED SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES FOR BUSINESSES AND INVESTORS TO NAVIGATE INFLATION THAT WAS ELEVATED, BUT MODERATING AT THE BEGINNING OF 2026 HAS SHARPLY TICKED BACK UP, INCREASING PRICES FOR BUSINESSES AND CONSUMERS. INFLATION ACCELERATED TO 3.7% IN SEPTEMBER, WELL ABOVE THE FEDERAL RESERVE'S 2% TARGET RATE. AND IN AN EFFORT TO TAME INFLATION IN SEPTEMBER, THE FEDERAL RESERVE RAISED INTEREST RATES BY A QUARTER OF A PERCENT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE YEARS, MAKING BORROWING MORE EXPENSING AND FINANCING HARDER TO COME BY. AND MARKET EXPECTATIONS HAVE REALLY SHIFTED TO EXPECTING ANOTHER TICK UPWARD, EITHER IN LATE 2026 OR EARLY 2027. THAT OBVIOUSLY REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER THE FEDERAL RESERVE TAKES THAT ACTION, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE HEARTLAND REAL ESTATE BUSINESS SURVEY OF DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS IN EARLY 2026 SAW 62% OF THOSE RESPONDENTS CITING INTEREST RATES AS A FACTOR THEY BELIEVE THAT WOULD MOST IMPACT COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY THIS YEAR. SO OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WATCHING CLOSELY. OIL AND FUEL PRICES ALSO SURGED, RAISING FREIGHT AND OPERATING COSTS FOR BUSINESSES, REDUCING CONSUMERS DISCRETIONARY SPENDING AND PRESSURING INFLATION, DRIVEN PRIMARILY BY GEOPOLITICAL CONFLICT. AVERAGE UNLEADED GAS PRICES ARE UP 45% SINCE FEBRUARY AND DIESEL UP 70% OVER THE SAME PERIOD. AND THAT'S HEAVILY IMPACTING KEY SECTORS INCLUDING COMMERCIAL FREIGHT, AGRICULTURE AND MANUFACTURING. AND AS I MENTIONED, CONSUMER SPENDING REMAINS STRONG DESPITE HIGHER COSTS FOR MANY NECESSITIES. BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IT'S NOT BEEN UNIFORMLY ACROSS HOUSEHOLDS OR SPENDING CATEGORIES. AS INFLATION OUTPACES WAGE GROWTH, CONSUMERS HAVE BEEN NAVIGATING A NET LOSS IN PURCHASING POWER WITH LOWER INCOME FAMILIES AND DISCRETIONARY SPENDING ON THINGS LIKE RETAIL, RESTAURANTS, ENTERTAINMENT SERVICE ORIENTED BUSINESSES UNDER THE MOST PRESSURE. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING THAT A PEER RESEARCH CENTER SURVEY CONDUCTED THIS SUMMER, AND THEN PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER, FOUND THAT 44% OF U.S. [00:05:03] ADULTS OVERALL SAY THEY'VE HAD TROUBLE PAYING FOR AT LEAST ONE BASIC NECESSITY IN THE PAST YEAR. AND BY NECESSITY, THEY MEAN MEDICAL CARE, DAILY TRANSPORTATION COSTS, FOOD, RENT, OR THEIR MORTGAGE. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT LOWER INCOME ADULTS, THAT FIGURE RISES TO 71%. FURTHER EXACERBATING WHAT WE'VE CALLED THE K-SHAPED ECONOMY, IN WHICH THE TOP 20% OF EARNERS HAVE BEEN ACCOUNTING FOR ABOUT 60% OF TOTAL PERSONAL CONSUMER SPENDING. AND THOSE NUMBERS CAME FROM MOODY'S ANALYTICS EARLIER THIS YEAR. AND THE LABOR MARKET HAS BEEN STEADY BUT IT IS COOLING. WHAT WE'VE CALLED THE BIG STAY IS STICKING AROUND IN 2026. THAT'S THE LOW HIGHER LOW FIRE EQUILIBRIUM. SEEING JOB HUGGING RATHER THAN JOB HOPPING WHERE EMPLOYEES ARE NERVOUS ABOUT VOLUNTARILY QUITTING THEIR JOBS, THINKING THEY WON'T FIND ANOTHER ONE OR WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY. WE'VE HAD A RELATIVELY STEADY UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AT ABOUT 4.2%, AND THAT'S JOHNSON COUNTY IS JUST BELOW THAT, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER FOR US THAN WHAT WE'VE SEEN, WHERE WE'VE BEEN AT 4.1%. AND WHERE NECESSARY, EMPLOYERS ARE MEETING DEMAND WITH INCREASED HOURS OR OVERTIME, EXTENDED SHIFTS RATHER THAN HIRING. PRIVATE SECTOR JOB GROWTH HAS SLOWED COMPARED TO PRIOR YEARS. AND WE'RE SEEING THAT WITH FEWER OPPORTUNITIES AND MORE PROLONGED SEARCH TIMES FOR RECENT GRADUATES AND PEOPLE WHO ARE LATE CAREER JOB SEEKERS. AND THAT'S ANOTHER THING YOU'VE PROBABLY READ QUITE A BIT IN THE MEDIA ABOUT THE TIME IT'S TAKING PEOPLE TO FIND A JOB. TARIFF AND OTHER TRADE POLICIES CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE COST OF IMPORTED GOODS AS WELL AS SUPPLY CHAINS. WHILE SOME MANUFACTURERS ARE EXPLORING DOMESTIC PRODUCTION OR RELOCATION OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH IS POTENTIALLY A POSITIVE. FOR BUSINESSES THAT DO RELY ON IMPORTED GOODS OR GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS THE UNCERTAINTY ABOUT FUTURE TARIFF LEVELS, WHAT THOSE COSTS WILL BE, AND JUST GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS ARE REALLY COMPLICATING PLANNING, PRICING AND CAPITAL INVESTMENT DECISIONS. AND I'VE HEARD THESE IMPACTS FIRSTHAND ABOUT ORDERS THAT ARE DELAYED OR DELIVERED MISSING LARGE PORTIONS OF THE ORDER. SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT I'M HEARING ABOUT FROM AREA BUSINESSES. GEOPOLITICAL CONFLICT HAS CREATED VOLATILITY IN ENERGY MARKETS AND GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS. AND ALSO I'VE ANECDOTALLY HEARD THESE IMPACTS FIRSTHAND LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT EXPORT MANUFACTURED EQUIPMENT THROUGH THE MIDDLE EAST HAVING SHIPMENTS EITHER HELD OR ACTUALLY RETURNED TO THEM BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT GET IT DELIVERED. AND THEN THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT AN ALTERNATIVE TO GET THAT TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. IT'S USUALLY AT A HIGHER COST THAN THAN WHAT THEY'VE TYPICALLY USED FOR TRANSPORTATION. AND LASTLY, I JUST MENTION UPCOMING FEDERAL AND STATE ELECTIONS HAVE ALSO ADDED UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE FUTURE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AS BUSINESSES HAVE WEIGHED POTENTIAL CHANGES IN POLICY. SO TO SUM UP, WHILE THE US ECONOMY HAS DEMONSTRATED STAYING POWER IN 2026 SO FAR, AVOIDING A DOWNTURN, THE OUTLOOK FOR BUSINESSES MAKING LONG TERM INVESTMENT DECISIONS HAS BEEN COMPLICATED, PARTICULARLY AROUND NEW CONSTRUCTION. I WOULD SAY DESPITE THE COMPLEX LANDSCAPE, A CAUTIOUS BUT RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT HAS PERSEVERED LOCALLY. OUR FUNDAMENTALS IN INDUSTRIAL AND RETAIL SECTORS APPEAR HEALTHY, EVEN WITH SIGNS POINTING TOWARD A NEW PERIOD OF EXPANSION. INDUSTRIAL VACANCY RATES ARE STABLE. WE'RE SEEING NEW CONSTRUCTION STARTS IN INDUSTRIAL. THE KANSAS CITY'S RETAIL SECTOR CONTINUES TO OUTPERFORM REGIONAL AND NATIONAL BENCHMARKS, WITH SOLID TENANT DEMAND AND SUSTAINED INVESTMENT ACTIVITY IN INFILL AND COMMUNITY SHOPPING AND STRIP CENTERS. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING THAT AS HOUSEHOLD BUDGETS HAVE FACED MOUNTING PRESSURE WITH THE RISING COST, DATA AND RESEARCH IS SUGGESTING THAT CONSUMERS ARE STILL SPENDING, BUT THEY'RE GETTING VERY SELECTIVE, PLACING GREATER EMPHASIS ON THE VALUE OF PURCHASES. BUT VALUE NO LONGER MEANS JUST COST. VALUE TO SHOPPERS CAN COME FROM EITHER AFFORDABILITY OR THROUGH DISTINCTIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND EXPERIENCES. SO THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CONCEPTS INCORPORATE BOTH. AND SO IN MY MIND, SOMETHING LIKE AN IKEA WHERE IT'S PRICE AND EXPERIENCE, MAYBE THAT YOU DON'T GET ANYWHERE ELSE. BUT THAT'S LEADING SOME TRADITIONALLY ONLINE BRANDS LIKE WAYFAIR TO OPEN PHYSICAL STORES. SO FROM WHERE WE WERE A FEW YEARS AGO, LOOKING AT THE FUTURE OF BRICK AND MORTAR IT MAY BE EVOLVING, BUT BRICK AND MORTAR DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE GOING ANYWHERE. AND THE OFFICE SECTOR, JOHNSON COUNTY REMAINS THE METRO'S PRIMARY GROWTH DRIVER. CONTINUE TO SEE THE OPTIMISTIC SIGNS OF RECOVERY, INCLUDING POSITIVE ABSORPTION AND DECLINING VACANCY RATES. YET IT STILL SEES CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES. OVERALL VACANCY RATES ARE IMPROVING. BUT AGAIN, NOT UNIFORMLY THE HIGHEST DEMAND REMAINS CONCENTRATED ON WELL-LOCATED UPGRADED SPACE. [00:10:04] AND TENANTS HAVE SHOWN A WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR IT. BUT WITH LIMITED NEW CONSTRUCTION THERE'S GOING TO NEED TO BE NEW INVESTMENT, MORE INVESTMENT IN THE OLDER AND MORE OBSOLETE INVENTORY. AND TO CREATE A SUPPLY THAT'S GOING TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR WHAT TODAY'S TENANTS WANT. SO THAT'S KIND OF AN OVERVIEW OF THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE'VE BEEN OPERATING IN. BUT NOW I WANT TO TURN TO LENEXA AND LOOKING AT OUR OWN COMMUNITY, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE REALLY HERE TO TALK ABOUT. AND DESPITE TODAY'S COMPLEX ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE, LENEXA CONTINUES TO SEE CONSISTENT GROWTH AND GENERATE MEANINGFUL NEW INVESTMENT THROUGHOUT THE CITY. LENEXA TOTAL NEW PERMITTED COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION YEAR TO DATE THROUGH SEPTEMBER IS MORE THAN 197 MILLION, UP 13% OVER THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. AND IF YOU ADD IN THE NEW RESIDENTIAL OF MORE THAN 172 MILLION, WHICH IS UP 16% FROM LAST YEAR, THE TOTAL YEAR TO DATE THROUGH SEPTEMBER IS 370 MILLION, WHICH IS A 15% YEAR TO DATE INCREASE. AND I THINK ALSO REFLECTS A HEALTHY SPLIT BETWEEN COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL INVESTMENT. YOU KNOW, MANY OF THE NOTABLE COMMERCIAL PROJECTS RELEASED SO FAR THIS YEAR, WHICH REPRESENT NEW CONSTRUCTION AS WELL AS EXPANSIONS AND RENOVATIONS. BUT I REALLY WANT TO NOTE HOW I THINK IT HIGHLIGHTS LENEXA STRONG INDUSTRIAL SECTOR, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR ECONOMIC CORNERSTONES. PROJECTS THIS YEAR INCLUDE TWO NEW BUILDINGS IN LENEXA LOGISTICS CENTER NORTH, REPRESENTING, I BELIEVE, ABOUT 600,000FT² OF NEW INDUSTRIAL INVENTORY, A NEW 188,000 SQUARE FOOT INDUSTRIAL BUILDING ON MARSHALL DRIVE, AS WELL AS REMODELING OF THE EXISTING FORMER WESTLAKE BUILDING AT THAT SITE. AND THEN E3XBS IS NEARLY 130,000 SQUARE FOOT. NEW OFFICE AND WAREHOUSE FACILITY CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION ON RENNER. OTHER NOTABLE NEW PROJECTS TO DATE THIS YEAR INCLUDE RANGE USA, ARISE HOME SALES OFFICE, CROWDER FAMILY DENTISTRY AND THE RESERVE AT COPPER CREEK. AND WE'VE SEEN SIGNIFICANT TENANT FINISH INVESTMENTS BY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION, PERFORMANCE CONTRACTING GROUPS, INNOVATION CENTER, KC BIER CO, INTEGRATED OPENING SYSTEMS AND ARRIVED OUTDOORS. IT'S FUN TO LOOK BACK AND SEE WHAT ALL HAS HAPPENED SO FAR THIS YEAR. PROJECTS LIKE THESE REINFORCE LENEXA ROLE AS A MAJOR DRIVER OF COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTY. ACCORDING TO THE COUNTY ECONOMIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE'S BUILDING PERMIT DATA ON NONRESIDENTIAL NEW STRUCTURES FOR 2026, YEAR TO DATE, THROUGH AUGUST, CONSTRUCTION INVESTMENT IN LENEXA REPRESENTED 19.4% OF JOHNSON COUNTY'S TOTAL BY CONSTRUCTION IN VALUE, WHICH IS THE THIRD HIGHEST AMONG CITIES AND 20.4% OF JOHNSON COUNTY'S TOTAL BY SQUARE FOOTAGE, MAKING US SECOND HIGHEST AMONG CITIES IN THE COUNTY. THIS YEAR, KC BIER CO AND SANDLOT SOCIAL OPENED AS LONG AWAITED NEW COMMUNITY GATHERING SPOTS. THE NEW DUAL AC HOTEL AND RESIDENCE INN BEGAN WELCOMING GUESTS TO LENEXA CITY CENTER. OLD TOWN LENEXA ADDED NEW RETAIL STOREFRONTS, INCLUDING J. HIGGINS AND THE PEDDLER'S DAUGHTER AT THE ADVENT HEALTH CAMPUS, A SECOND MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING AND A NEW FIVE FOUR RESTAURANT. DRAFT TOP DRAFT HOUSE WILL OPEN BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, READY TO SERVE RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND VISITORS AND TO THE WEST. NEW HOUSING OPTIONS ARE TAKING SHAPE TO WELCOME FUTURE RESIDENTS. IN SHORT, THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN LENEXA AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO MORE TO COME. AS OF SEPTEMBER, THE PIPELINE OF PENDING BUILDING PERMITS TOTALED NEARLY $136 MILLION, SIGNALING MORE EXCITING NEW PROJECTS IN THE WORKS THAT I'LL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU ABOUT AT OUR NEXT ECONOMIC REPORT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REPORT. JUST QUICKLY REGARDING OUR EVERYDAY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY, THE CHALLENGING ECONOMIC CONDITIONS JUST CONTINUE TO TEMPER THE FLOW OF ATTRACTION PROJECTS OVER THE FIRST PART OF THE YEAR. BUT IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS, HOWEVER, WE'VE SEEN A NOTICEABLE UPTICK IN BUSINESS ATTRACTION ACTIVITY, NEARLY ALL STILL IN THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR, BUT PROJECT REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE CLOSER TO HISTORIC NORMS, NOT THE WE NEED 1,000,000FT² OR A THOUSAND ACRES, BUT MORE OF THE TYPES OF PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE WITHIN OUR WHEELHOUSE, MANY THAT ARE INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES AND OFTEN WITH LONG DECISION MAKING TIMELINES. I HAVE PROJECTS THAT WE ARE PURSUING WHERE THE TIMELINE IS THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTER 2027, WHICH CAN BE CHALLENGING BECAUSE OF THIS HOW QUICKLY VACANCIES CAN TURN OVER IN LENEXA THAT THEY CAN LOOK TODAY. BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN A YEAR FROM NOW THAT SAME SPACE WILL BE AVAILABLE. BUT WE ARE SEEING THOSE KIND OF TIMELINES, BUT IT'S ENCOURAGING TO SEE COMPANIES MAKING MOVES AND POSITIONING THEMSELVES FOR THE FUTURE, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT READY TO COMMIT TODAY. IT SHOWS THAT THE DEMAND IS THERE. THE TREND IN OUR DEAL FLOW PIPELINE CONTINUES TO BE ANCHORED BY STRONG ORGANIC DEVELOPMENT. [00:15:02] OUR OWN LENEXA COMPANIES ARE THOSE THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE REGION THAT ARE LOOKING TO EXPAND OR RELOCATE. EVERY WEEK IS FILLED WITH EMAILS, PHONE CALLS, AND MEETINGS THAT AFFIRM THAT OUR REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS AND OUR COMPANIES SEE POTENTIAL AND VALUE IN DOING BUSINESS HERE. AND OUR GREATEST CHALLENGE IS REALLY KEEPING PACE WITH THE INTEREST, GIVEN LENEXA RELATIVELY LOW VACANCY RATES AND DIMINISHING DEVELOPABLE LAND. WHILE I'M NOT ALWAYS ABLE TO SHARE DETAILS ABOUT MUCH OF THIS EARLY STAGE ACTIVITY, I CAN ASSURE YOU LENEXA ASSETS CONSISTENTLY KEEP US IN THE HUNT, AND YOUR INTENTIONALITY IN CREATING A WELL-ROUNDED COMMUNITY IS PAYING OFF IN SPACES BEING FILLED, JOBS BEING CREATED, AND INVESTMENTS BEING MADE. SO I'LL JUST WRAP UP BY NOTING THIS YEAR HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY BUSY, FOCUSED ON PROVIDING SUPPORT TO OUR DEVELOPMENT STAKEHOLDERS, WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS TO AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE PROJECTS, HOSTING SITE VISITS, LEVERAGING WORLD CUP OPPORTUNITIES, MARKETING OUR COMMUNITY, AND ULTIMATELY CELEBRATING WITH RIBBON CUTTINGS AND GROUNDBREAKINGS. 28 EITHER CONDUCTED OR ON THE BOOKS SO FAR THIS YEAR, I THINK WE'VE ADDED 2 OR 3 EVEN SINCE I TURNED IN THIS REPORT. AND THE MAYOR IS SMILING BECAUSE OUR RECORD IS 35. SO WE'RE GOING TO BEAT THAT FOR SURE. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE. AND THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND TO THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE STEPPED IN TO WIELD THE GIANT SCISSORS. BUT THAT'S AN EXCITING PART OF WHAT WE DO, RECOGNIZING BUSINESSES OF ALL SIZES AND CELEBRATING THE PEOPLE WHO CHOSE OUR CITY TO PURSUE THEIR DREAM. AND WE NEVER FORGET THAT WHEN WE'RE AT THOSE KINDS OF EVENTS. IT'S A PRIVILEGE REALLY TO BE THE FRONTLINE ADVOCATE SERVING OUR EXISTING BUSINESSES AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY WHILE WORKING ALONGSIDE YOUR EXCELLENT TOP NOTCH CITY STAFF TO ATTRACT NEW INVESTMENT, JOBS AND AMENITIES FOR LENEXA CITIZENS. I SINCERELY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EDC, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. QUESTIONS FOR ASHLEY. CHRIS. HI, ASHLEY. THANK YOU. THE 172 MILLION IN RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. HOW MANY HOUSES DOES THAT REPRESENT? DO YOU KNOW? I WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE SHEET. I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS ON ME, BUT I CAN EASILY GET THAT TO YOU UNLESS STAFF HAS A HANDY. OKAY. AND I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO ASK THE SAME QUESTION ABOUT THE 136 MILLION IN NEW RESIDENTIAL PERMITS. I WILL BE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP WITH THOSE SPECIFIC NUMBERS FOR YOU. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER HERRON, WE HAVE THE END OF OCTOBER NUMBERS THAT WE JUST GOT TODAY, AND WE'LL HAVE THOSE FOR YOU ON FRIDAY. SO YEAH. THANK YOU JOHN MICHAEL. QUICK QUESTIONS, TWO OF THEM PROBABLY. FIRSTLY THE DEV RANKINGS WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT LENEXA, YOU HAD SAID THAT WE WERE THIRD IN THE COUNTY FOR I THINK CONSTRUCTION VALUE OR PERMITTED VALUE. AND SECOND, IN TERMS OF SQUARE FOOTAGE I'M GUESSING THAT WE'RE BEHIND OR NECK AND NECK WITH OP AND OLATHE. IS THAT GENERALLY ACCURATE? ARE WE PUNCHING AT OUR WEIGHT BELOW OR ABOVE? AND IF BELOW, ARE THERE ANY UNIQUE CHALLENGES TO LENEXA THAT WE NEED TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION FOR? I THINK IN GENERAL, IN MY OPINION, AND THAT'S WHY I POINT OUT THAT I THINK LENEXA IS A MAJOR DRIVER, AND I DO THINK FOR THE SIZE OF OUR COMMUNITY FOR SOME TIME NOW, WE'RE PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT, WHETHER THAT BE IN DOLLARS OR SQUARE FOOTAGE. SO I, YOU KNOW, I THINK AGAIN, OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS JUST STARTING TO HAVE DIMINISHING DEVELOPABLE LAND. YOU KNOW, PROBABLY ON A FIVE YEAR TIMELINE. I KNOW SOME OF OUR MOST FERTILE BUSINESS PARKS LIKE LENEXA LOGISTICS CENTER ANTICIPATES TO BE BUILT OUT IN THE NEXT 2 TO 5 YEARS. AND THEN AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE WEST AND THAT GETS SNATCHED UP. BUT IN MY OPINION, I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE PUNCHED ABOVE OUR WEIGHT CLASS FOR SOME TIME. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? WHEN I LOOK BACK ON THAT YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENTS, THE THINGS THAT STICK OUT TO ME ARE BUSINESSES AS SMALL AS RICO'S BARBER STUDIO. WHICH IS JUST A LITTLE SINGLE ROOM, YOU KNOW, ONE GUY CUTTING HAIR, TO THE MARQUEE PROJECTS LIKE THE AC AND KC BIER AND THEN THAT INDUSTRIAL THAT YOU MENTIONED. IT'S JUST SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR ECONOMY. AND ALL SIGNS CONTINUE TO POINT TO GREAT THINGS AHEAD. SO THANK YOU, ASHLEY, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO TO KEEP THOSE BUSINESSES CONNECTED AND SUPPORTED BIG AND SMALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. UP NEXT, WE'LL HEAR FROM THE LENEXA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU. HELLO, JULIE. HELLO MAYOR SAYERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS JULIE STEINER WITH THE SECOND SEMIANNUAL CVB REPORT. [00:20:03] SO, AS YOU KNOW, THIS SUMMER, KANSAS CITY HOSTED A GLOBAL EVENT, EXCUSE ME, THAT GENERATED UNPRECEDENTED ATTENTION FOR THE REGION. AND FOR OUR PART, WE MADE SURE THAT OUR WEBSITE PROVIDED RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE TO FIND OUT EVERYTHING THEY MIGHT NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WORLD CUP. AND WE COMMUNICATED DIRECTLY WITH LENEXA BUSINESSES TO MAKE SURE THEY HAD THE INFORMATION THAT KC 2026 WAS PROVIDING ABOUT THE BEST WAYS FOR THEM TO GET THEIR BUSINESS SEEN AND PARTICIPATE. HOTELS ACROSS THE METRO SAW LOWER THAN EXPECTED OCCUPANCY, BUT HIGHER AVERAGE DAILY ROOM RATES AND, OF COURSE, MORE ROOM NIGHTS ON THE MATCH DATES. CORPORATE CLIENTS SELECTED OTHER CITIES OR DEFERRED TRAVEL IN JUNE OR JULY JUST TO STAY AWAY FROM WHAT THEY THOUGHT MIGHT BE A CHAOTIC TIME. AND AS JUNE GREW CLOSER AND BUSINESS DIDN'T PICK UP. PROPERTIES BEGAN TO LIGHTEN THEIR RESTRICTIONS AND CANCELLATION POLICIES. IN MAY 2026, SURVEYS FOUND THAT 85 TO 90% OF KANSAS CITY AREA HOTELS REPORTED BOOKINGS BELOW PROJECTIONS. DESPITE EXPECTATIONS FOR STRONG DEMAND, AREA AVERAGE DAILY RATES INCREASED ABOUT 40% YEAR OVER YEAR DURING THIS WORLD CUP PERIOD, AND OVERALL HOST CITIES SAW RATES INCREASE ABOUT 20%, WHILE OCCUPANCY INCREASED ONLY 3% AND YOU MAY HAVE SEEN VISIT KC RELEASED SOME NUMBERS, THEIR LATEST NUMBERS LAST THURSDAY, AND I JUST HAVE A COUPLE HERE TO SHARE. YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN THAT THERE ARE PLENTY MORE THAN WHAT I'VE GOT HERE. BUT THE BASIC STATE, WE SAW AN ESTIMATED 680,000 UNIQUE VISITORS WHO TRAVELED TO THE REGION. ROUGHLY 83% WERE DOMESTIC TRAVELERS, WHILE 17% WERE INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS. THERE WERE RECORD SETTING. THERE WAS A RECORD SETTING DAY AT THE AIRPORT, AND I BELIEVE THERE WAS A RECORD SETTING REVENUE DATE FOR DOWNTOWN HOTELS. THEY REPORTED $570 MILLION IN DIRECT SPENDING, WHICH INCLUDES LODGING, DINING, TRANSPORTATION, RETAIL, AS WELL AS ORGANIZER SPENDING ON VENUE PREPARATION. SO FAN FEST. SO ALTHOUGH THERE'S LOTS OF TALK ABOUT NUMBERS, WHETHER THEY'RE RECORD SETTING, WHETHER THEY'RE DISAPPOINTING, IT STILL WAS A GREAT BOON TO THE ECONOMY. AND I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, REALLY IMPORTANT TOO TO FOCUS ON WHAT HAPPENED HERE IN LENEXA. AND I KNOW I'M PREACHING TO THE CHOIR, BUT IT'S SO GREAT TO SEE THE CITY COME TOGETHER WITH LOCAL PARTNERS AS VISIT LENEXA TO SHOW OUR HOSPITALITY AND OUR COMMUNITY SPIRIT, AND CELEBRATE A PARTY WITH A FEW THOUSAND PEOPLE AT OUR WATCH PARTY. SO OF COURSE, LENEXA DOES A GREAT JOB ON EVENTS ALL YEAR LONG, BUT IT WAS JUST FUN TO SEE TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE BE ABLE TO SEE THAT. ON GUEST TAX, IT SHOWS THAT REALLY IN JUNE THEY DID, THEY JUST DECREASED A LITTLE BIT FROM $194,000 TO 190. AND THEN IN JULY LAST YEAR WE WERE AT $179,000. AND THIS YEAR JULY WAS 214. OUR LONG AWAITED NEW HOTEL AC MARRIOTT AND RESIDENCE INN OPENED AND IS THRIVING. THE AREA SALES DIRECTOR HAD NEVER SEEN JOBS FILL SO QUICKLY. THEY'VE BEEN ON A SALES BLITZ RECENTLY, SO I HAD ASKED THEM TO GIVE ME AN UPDATE AND SOME NUMBERS, AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DO THAT, BUT HOPEFULLY I'LL GET THOSE SOON. AND SO EVEN WITH THE PROPERTY MISSING FROM OUR REGULAR INVENTORY, THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR HEADS AND BEDS IN LENEXA. I ALSO PROVIDED YOU WITH SOME ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORTS FROM THE STATE AND THE COUNTY AND LENEXA. FOR THIS REPORT HERE TONIGHT, I'M JUST GOING TO FOCUS ON LENEXA. IN SEPTEMBER, WE JOINED OUR CVB NEIGHBORS FROM MERRIAM, OLATHE, OVERLAND PARK, AND SEANEE FOR THE STATE OF JOHNSON COUNTY TOURISM EVENT. AND MAYOR SAYERS SPOKE ON THE PANEL THAT INCLUDED TOURISM EXPERTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. THE REPORT IN YOUR PACKET INCLUDES SO INCLUDES A LOT OF THOSE STATE COUNTY DOWN. AND BECAUSE WE SPONSORED, WE WERE SPONSORS OF THE EVENT, WE RECEIVED OUR OWN REPORT FROM TOURISM ECONOMICS, WHICH IS A COMPANY THAT FORECASTS, ANALYZES AND RESEARCHES THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, AND WE WERE EXCITED TO GET THOSE BECAUSE WE'VE NOT HAD THAT BEFORE. I DID INCLUDE SOME VISUALS THERE FOR YOU, BUT THE MAIN ITEMS I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT ARE IN 2025, 241 MILLION IN VISITOR SPENDING IN 2025 VISITORS DEFINED AS SOMEONE WHO STAYS OVERNIGHT OR TRAVELS MORE THAN 50 MILES TO GET HERE. 347 MILLION IN TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT. SO DIRECT, INDIRECT AND INDUCED. AND THEN VISITOR SPENDING DIRECTLY SUPPORTED 1,933 JOBS IN LODGING, FOOD AND BEVERAGE, AND RETAIL, FOR A TOTAL OF 2,772 JOBS SUPPORTED AND STATE AND LOCAL TAXES COLLECTED TOTALED 19 MILLION. [00:25:03] REPLACING THIS VISITOR GENERATED TAX REVENUE WOULD REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL 760 IN TAXES PER LENEXA HOUSEHOLD. THE REPORT SHOWED OUR HIGHEST GROWTH SECTORS, WHICH WERE FOOD AND BEVERAGE AT 74 MILLION AND RECREATION AT 46 MILLION THAT INCLUDES OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, ATTRACTIONS, EVENTS AND SPORTS RELATED ACTIVITY. THE REPORT ALSO PROVIDED SOME VISITOR GENERATED TAX IMPACT TAX IMPACTS IN CONTEXT. I DON'T KNOW. YOU KNOW THIS THEY'RE VERY RELIABLE. BUT I JUST THOUGHT THESE THIS IS SORT OF TRIVIA. BUT IF IT'S TRUE IT'S KIND OF AMAZING. BUT ACCORDING TO THE REPORT 8 MILLION IN LOCAL TAXES IS ENOUGH TO PAY FOR THE ANNUAL SALARIES OF APPROXIMATELY 124 POLICE OFFICERS, COVER 35% OF THE CITY'S 2025 COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE BUDGET, AND 52% OF THE 2025 PARKS AND REC BUDGET. AND I HAVE LOTS OF REPORTS, SO IF ANYBODY LIKES TO READ THROUGH PAGES AND PAGES OF DATA, I'M HAPPY TO SEND ALL OF THESE TO YOU. A KEY DRIVER OF VISITORS IS OUR THREE AND TWO BASEBALL CLUB OF JOHNSON COUNTY, AND THEY CONTINUE TO THRIVE. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JEFF CHALK REPORTED THAT IN 2025, THEY HOSTED 2069 TEAMS IN TOURNAMENTS FROM MARCH THROUGH JULY, AND THIS YEAR HE PROJECTS THAT NUMBER TO EXCEED 2,400, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 330 TEAMS. THEY WELCOMED 385 LEAGUE TEAMS THIS YEAR, DOWN JUST FIVE FROM LAST YEAR. SIX TOURNAMENTS, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH SCHOOL DIVISIONS, SAW A FAIR NUMBER OF OUT-OF-TOWN TEAMS DROP OUT BECAUSE OF HIGHER HOTEL PRICES DURING WORLD CUP AND IN EARLY OCTOBER, WHICH IS ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE THE 2026 SEASON WRAPPED UP. THE CLUB WAS CLOSE TO ITS PROJECTIONS OF REACHING 3300 TOURNAMENT TEAMS, ALMOST A THOUSAND MORE THAN IN 2024, BEFORE THEY ADDED TURF TO THE LENEXA COMPLEX. AND I KNOW I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU THIS, BUT THE THREE AND TWO PROJECT DEMONSTRATES HOW TOURISM AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE LASTING BENEFITS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. SO IN JUST EVERYDAY BUSINESS, I CONTINUE TO MEET REGULARLY WITH OUR TOURISM PARTNERS. I'VE BEEN WORKING TO INCREASE OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY, AND I STARTED A NEWSLETTER THAT I EMAILED TO OUR HOTELS. REALIZING THAT THEY DON'T KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON NECESSARILY. SO I SENT THEM, I SEND THEM A NEWSLETTER MONTHLY THAT INCLUDES REGULAR AND SPECIAL EVENTS AND THEN INFORMATION ABOUT NEW BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS, THINGS THAT ARE VISITOR FACING. THIS IS JUST FOR THEIR INFORMATION, BUT ALSO IT'S, I SET IT UP WITH LIVE LINKS AND QR CODES SO GUESTS CAN USE IT TO FIND THEIR OWN INFORMATION AT LINKS TO THE CITY CALENDAR AND TO THE CVB WEBSITE. IN CLOSING, IT'S BEEN AN INTERESTING YEAR WITH OUR METRO HOSTING A WORLDWIDE SPORTS TOURNAMENT, WHICH WE ENJOYED THROUGH LENEXA OWN BRAND OF CELEBRATING. WE WELCOMED A NEW HOTEL PROPERTY, AS WELL AS RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES THAT WILL SERVE OUR COMMUNITY AND VISITORS. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT YOU PROVIDE ME WITH MY EFFORTS TO PUT MORE EYES ON LENEXA. I TELL YOU AT THE END OF EVERY REPORT THAT I HAVE PEERS WHO DON'T RECEIVE THE SAME REPORT OF SUPPORT FROM THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND I TRULY DON'T TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED. ANY QUESTIONS I CAN TRY TO ANSWER? I DON'T SEE ANY. OKAY. THANK YOU. JULIE. OKAY. UP NEXT IS TONIGHT'S CONSENT AGENDA. THERE ARE THREE ITEMS ON TONIGHT'S CONSENT AGENDA. [CONSENT AGENDA] MATTERS LISTED HERE ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ROUTINE AND WILL BE APPROVED COLLECTIVELY WITH NO SEPARATE DISCUSSION. ANY ITEM ON THE CONSENT AGENDA MAY BE REMOVED FOR A SEPARATE DISCUSSION BY A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BODY CITY MANAGER AND MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC. IN THE EVENT THE ITEM IS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA, IT WILL BE PLACED ON THE REGULAR AGENDA. ANYONE WISH TO REMOVE AN ITEM FOR DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS ONE THROUGH THREE. SO MOVED. MOTION BY AVERY. SECOND BY COURTNEY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED. ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS AN ORDINANCE REMOVING AREA FROM THE MINING REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT AND AMENDING ORDINANCE NUMBERS 4604 AND 4825 AND REPEALING [4. Ordinance removing area from the Mining Redevelopment TIF District and Amending Ordinance Nos. 4604 and 4825 and repealing Ordinance Nos. 4609, 4938, 5033, 5262, 5631, 5700, 5976, and 6015] ORDINANCE NUMBERS 4609, 4938, 5033, 5262, 5631. MY GOODNESS, 5700, 5976 AND 6015. PLEASE DON'T READ THAT AGAIN, SEAN. SORRY ABOUT THAT. GOOD EVENING. SEAN MCLAUGHLIN, CITY ATTORNEY. I AM HAPPY TO BE HERE. AND IT IS APPROPRIATE TO DOVETAIL OFF THE REPORT YOU JUST GOT ABOUT GIVING YOU ANOTHER, I THINK, GOOD STORY ABOUT THE POWER OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE TOOLS SUCH AS TIF AND WHAT THEY CAN DO IN THE CITY AND HOW THEY CAN SPUR DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT IN OUR [00:30:01] COMMUNITY. IN AN OTHERWISE UNDEVELOPED AREA OF THE CITY. SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AMENDMENT AS WELL AS SOME ROY ON THIS ONE AND OUR RECOMMENDATION. SO ON THE SCREEN HERE, YOU SEE THE MINING TIF DISTRICT AS IT SITS TODAY IN ITS ORIGINAL 450 ACRES. I WANT TO SAY IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2004 TO PROMOTE INVESTMENT IN DEVELOPMENT IN THAT UNDERMINED AREA THAT IS UNDER ALMOST ALL OF THAT DEVELOPMENT. TO DATE, WE'VE APPROVED MULTIPLE PROJECT PLANS. IT'S FACILITATED THE RECLAMATION OF THAT UNDERMINED AREA. IT'S SUPPORTED NEW HOUSING, OFFICE, RETAIL, RESTAURANTS IN THE AREA. AND TO DATE, IT'S CREATED APPROXIMATELY $315 MILLION IN APPRAISED VALUE IN THE GREEN AREAS YOU SEE. WE'VE ALSO CONSTRUCTED A LOT OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDING STREETS, STORM WATERS, TRAILS, SIDEWALKS, ETC.. TO DATE THERE ARE THREE PROJECT PLANS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND THERE ARE TWO THAT REMAIN ACTIVE. THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TONIGHT WILL REMOVE THE THREE COMPLETED PROJECT PLANS FROM THE MINING TIF DISTRICT, AND THAT IS 353 ACRES, OR ABOUT 78% OF THE MINING TIF DISTRICT THAT AREA BEING REMOVED IS THAT AREA IN RED ON THE MAP. THE AREA THAT WILL REMAIN IS OBVIOUSLY THE GREEN. WITHIN THAT GREEN IS TWO OF OUR ACTIVE PROJECT PLANS. THEY'RE ACTUALLY ALONG THE CORRIDOR THERE IN THE GREEN ON THE RENTER SIDE. AND THE REMOVAL. AND THERE'S ADDITIONALLY 58 OTHER ACRES THAT ARE POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE IN THE FUTURE FOR TIF PROJECT PLANS SHOULD DEVELOPMENT COME IN. AND THOSE ARE THE TWO AREAS ON THE NORTH SIDE. THIS REMOVAL WILL BE EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2027, WHICH IS THE NEW TAX YEAR. AND SO WE'VE COORDINATED THAT WITH THE COUNTY. THE REMOVED AREA WILL GENERATE APPROXIMATELY 3.1 MILLION IN PROPERTY TAXES, WHICH WILL BE NOW DISTRIBUTED PRO RATA ANNUALLY TO EACH OF THE FOUR TAXING JURISDICTIONS. WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO EACH OF THEM AND THEY HAVE EXPRESSED NO CONCERN. SO WHY ARE WE REMOVING THE AREA AT THIS TIME? SO AS I STATED, LARGE PORTIONS OF THE MINING TIF HAVE PROJECT PLANS IN THOSE AREAS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND ACHIEVED. MANY OF THE ORIGINAL GOALS THAT WE SET OUT IN THIS TIF DISTRICT. THE DISTRICT IS GENERATING TIF THAT IS NOT ASSIGNED TO SPECIFIC COSTS AND IS RESTRICTED TO USE ONLY WITHIN THE TIF DISTRICT. AT THIS POINT, PHASING OUT THE DISTRICT, AS WE'RE AS WE'RE PROPOSING, WILL ALLOW US TO USE THAT SEND THAT FUTURE REVENUE TO BEFORE TAXING JURISDICTIONS, INCLUDING THE CITY, COUNTY SEANEE MISSION SCHOOL DISTRICT IN JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE. AND SHOULD WE NEED IT OR FEEL LIKE WE NEED IT IN THE FUTURE, OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOLS DO REMAIN FOR THE CITY TO USE IN THOSE AREAS THAT IT WILL BE REMOVED WITH TONIGHT'S ORDINANCE. SO RECOMMENDATION STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE ORDINANCE REMOVING PROPERTY FROM THE MINING TIF DISTRICT. IF PASSED, STAFF WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE COUNTY TO MAKE SURE THIS IS ENACTED AND EFFECTIVE ON JANUARY 1ST, 2027. AND I AM HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. AVERY A SIMPLE ONE. THIS DOES NOT LIMIT OUR ABILITY TO DEVELOP A TIF IN THE FUTURE ON THIS SAME LAND, RIGHT? THIS IS JUST CLOSING THIS PORTION OF THE EXISTING MINING TIF, CORRECT? THIS IS JUST CLOSING THE RED OFF FROM THE EXISTING MINING TIF. SHOULD YOU WANT TO DO ANOTHER TIF OVER THE RED AREA, YOU'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE FULL TIF DISTRICT PROCESS, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT MORE INVOLVED THAN THE PROJECT PLAN. BUT IT DOES NOT CLOSE PRECLUDE ANY FUTURE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOLS, INCLUDING TIF. PERFECT. THANK YOU. SEAN, I APOLOGIZE. I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE ASKED YOU EARLIER. ANY IDEA HOW MUCH PROPERTY TAXES WAS GENERATING BEFORE THE DISTRICT? IT'S OKAY. WE HAVE A BASE YEAR VALUE. DO YOU KNOW MIKE? I DON'T HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF ME, BUT IT WAS ESSENTIALLY NOTHING. YEAH. I MEAN, THOSE ARE THE STORIES WE LIKE TO TELL, IS THAT THIS WAS MAKING NO MONEY FOR THE CITY. AND EVEN THOUGH THE TIME IS DEFERRED WHAT FIGURE DID YOU SAY ONCE IT COMES OFF. 3.1 MILLION IS OUR ESTIMATE BASED ON. SO I WOULD AGREE SUCCESS STORY. YEAH. ANYTHING ELSE? OKAY. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO PASS THE ORDINANCE, REMOVING THE AREA FROM THE MINING DEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT AND AMENDING ALL THOSE ORDINANCE NUMBERS THAT I SAID BEFORE. SO MOVED. MOTION BY AVERY, SECOND BY JOHN MICHAEL. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES. ANY COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS THIS EVENING? BILL GO AHEAD. [COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS] [00:35:02] YES, I'D LIKE TO TAKE SOME TIME TO READ SOMETHING THAT I'VE WRITTEN FOR US TONIGHT. AS A MEMBER OF THE LENEXA GOVERNING BODY, I FEEL I MUST ADDRESS THE RECENT FINDING BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE OF A VIOLATION OF THE KANSAS OPEN MEETING ACT. I MUST ADDRESS IT. ESPECIALLY SINCE MY NAME WAS UNFAIRLY DRUG INTO THE VIOLATION BY FOUR OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. THIS VIOLATION GOES TO THE VERY HEART OF BREAKING THE TRUST BETWEEN LENEXA RESIDENTS AND THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. SOME OF WHAT I PLAN TO SAY TONIGHT IS PERSONAL. SOME OF IT IS CORPORATE. BUT BEFORE I BEGIN, LET ME SAY I'VE BEEN AROUND LENEXA CITY GOVERNMENT FOR A LONG TIME, AND SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO REMIND ME OF THE LAST TIME A LENEXA CITY COUNCIL VIOLATED THE KANSAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. I CANNOT THINK OF A SINGLE INSTANCE. FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE ON A GROUP TEXT DEALING WITH AMONG OTHER TOPICS, THE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY QUESTION. THOSE FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE COUNCIL MEMBERS, HANDLEY, ETHERIDGE, WILLIAMSON AND HERRON. AFTER I MET INDIVIDUALLY WITH COUNCIL MEMBER HERRON ABOUT THE HABITAT QUESTION, HE, TO USE THE WORD THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE USED. HE IMMEDIATELY TEXTED THE OTHERS IN THAT TEXTING GROUP. HIS TEXT TO THE GROUP ABOUT OUR INDIVIDUAL MEETING TRIGGERED THE KANSAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT VIOLATION BECAUSE NOW FIVE OF THE NINE GOVERNING BODY MEMBERS WERE INVOLVED. A MAJORITY OF THE GOVERNING BODY. I LATER MET WITH COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMSON, WHO ONCE AGAIN, ACCORDING TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE, IMMEDIATELY TEXTED THE OTHERS. DUE TO THIS VIOLATION OF THE KANSAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE REQUIRED THE FIVE OF US TO CEASE AND DESIST FROM FURTHER VIOLATIONS OF THE KANSAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT ALSO REQUIRED US TO ATTEND AN HOUR OF TRAINING ON THE KANSAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, AND THE FOUR MEMBERS OF THE GROUP TEXT WERE REQUIRED TO PAY A CIVIL PENALTY FINE. I WAS NOT REQUIRED TO PAY A FINE BECAUSE AS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE SAID, WE BELIEVE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER NICKS WAS UNAWARE THAT THE DETAILS OF INDIVIDUAL DISCUSSIONS HE PARTICIPATED IN WERE DISTRIBUTED AMONGST THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. I CERTAINLY WAS UNAWARE, AND I CERTAINLY WAS NOT ENGAGING IN SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS. NOW, THIS VIOLATION GOES, I THINK, TO THE HEART OF TRUST. THE TRUST BETWEEN LENEXA RESIDENTS AND HER ELECTED GOVERNING BODY, TRUST THAT ALLOWS A SALES TAX FOR STREETS AND PARKS TO PASS WITH A 79% YES VOTE. TRUST THAT PATIENTLY WAITS FOR SIX YEARS FOR A NEW FIRE STATION TO PROTECT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF LENEXA. TRUST THAT KNOWS GREAT CITY SERVICES ARE EXPENSIVE AND THAT THOSE ELECTED LOCALLY NOT IN TOPEKA ARE IN THE BEST POSITION TO DETERMINE HOW THOSE SERVICES ARE TO BE PAID FOR. TRUST, TRUST THAT FLOWS FROM THE RESIDENTS TO THE GOVERNING BODY THAT TRUST HAS BEEN BROKEN. SO NOW THE QUESTION OF HOW TO BEGIN TO REBUILD THAT BROKEN TRUST SHOULD BE AT THE TOP OF OUR MINDS. I THINK TWO THINGS ARE NEEDED TO BEGIN. OF COURSE, THE FIRST THING THAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO BEGIN TO REBUILD THAT TRUST IS FOR THE FOUR TEXTERS TO APOLOGIZE. APOLOGIZE NOT TO ME FOR SECRETLY DRAGGING MY NAME INTO THE VIOLATION, BUT APOLOGIZE TO THE RESIDENTS OF LENEXA, ALTHOUGH IRONICALLY, WITHOUT SECRETLY INVOLVING ME. NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE BECOME PUBLIC? NO THE APOLOGY NEEDS TO BE TO THE RESIDENTS OF LENEXA, NOT TO ME. I APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMSON APOLOGIZING TO ME, BUT IT IS THE RESIDENTS WHO ARE OWED THE [00:40:07] APOLOGY. THAT'S THE FIRST THING AN APOLOGY. NEXT, WE, THE NON TEXTERS SHOULD TAKE ACTION THAT DEMONSTRATES TO ALL OF LENEXA OUR DISAPPROVAL OF THESE SECRET NON PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS. I THINK WE SHOULD CENSOR THE TEXTERS. THIS SYMBOLIC VOTE OF CENSURE WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE DEMONSTRATION TO LENEXA THAT MOVING FORWARD, THIS IS NOT THE WAY THE LENEXA GOVERNING BODY CONDUCTS ITS BUSINESS AND THAT WE ARE SEEING SERIOUS IN SEEING THAT IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. NEVER. I WILL NOT MAKE SUCH A MOTION FOR CENSURE TONIGHT. I WANT ALL OF YOU TO THINK ABOUT IT UNTIL NEXT MEETING. AND THEN I TRUST THAT AT THE NEXT MEETING, SOMEONE WILL MAKE A MOTION TO CENSURE IN ORDER TO SHOW OUR DISAPPROVAL. I TRUST THAT THE TEXTERS HAVE A SENSE OF SHAME AND THAT THEY WILL INDEED APOLOGIZE. I ALSO TRUST THAT THE REST OF THE GOVERNING BODY HAS A SENSE OF DUTY, AND WILL TAKE PUBLIC ACTION TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR DISAPPROVAL. YOU NOW KNOW WHERE I STAND. AS YOU READ THE TEXT MESSAGES MADE PUBLIC BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE, YOU WILL SEE AMONGST THE TEXTERS VARYING DEGREES OF INVOLVEMENT IN THE TEXTING STREAM AND TOWARDS DENYING THE RESIDENTS THE RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR CITY BUSINESS, AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO READ THOSE TEXTS AND TO JUDGE FOR THEMSELVES THE DEGREE OF INVOLVEMENT BY THE FOUR INDIVIDUALS. IN CLOSING, AND I THINK APPROPRIATELY, ON THIS ELECTION DAY IN 2026, PLEASE KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE AN ELECTION DAY IN 2027, AND THE PEOPLE OF LENEXA WILL BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE WITH THEIR VOTE THE KIND OF TOWN THEY ARE WILLING TO LIVE IN AND THE KIND OF PERSON THEY WANT REPRESENTING THEM. IT IS TIME TO BEGIN BUILDING BACK THE TRUST THAT HAS BEEN BROKEN HERE IN LENEXA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU BILL. I DON'T KNOW THAT ANYBODY REALIZED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE A STATEMENT TONIGHT. I WANT TO GIVE OUR COLLEAGUES AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY ANYTHING, IF YOU'D LIKE. YEAH, I'D LIKE TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY. BILL, THAT'S VERY SELF-SERVING. YOU'RE NOT A VICTIM. YOU COULD HAVE ASKED. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED. I'VE ALREADY APOLOGIZED TO THE PEOPLE OF LENEXA, AND I DON'T FEEL THE SHAME AND THE PATRONIZING. IT'S VERY PATRONIZING HERE. YOU'RE NOT INNOCENT. YOU ASK QUESTIONS OF EVERYTHING LIKE WE DO. SO TO PRETEND LIKE YOU'RE THIS INNOCENT VICTIM. NO, I'M NOT SAYING I'M NOT CULPABLE. I AM CULPABLE, AND I ADMIT IT, I'M CULPABLE. I PAID MY FINE. I TOOK THE HOUR LONG CLASS, AND I'M PUTTING IT BEHIND US. BUT FOR YOU TO SIT THERE AND CONDEMN US. I DON'T ACCEPT THAT, BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT. AND YOU KNOW THAT THIS WAS NOT INTENTIONAL. AND SO TO GO FORWARD AS IF WE DELIBERATELY SET YOU UP IS BEYOND PALE. IN FACT, I'M JUST DISGUSTED WITH YOU. I NEVER SAID THAT. NO, NEVER SAID THAT. AND I THINK YOUR FAKE OUTRAGE IS RIDICULOUS. OH, YOU THINK THIS IS FAKE? GENTLEMEN. THE MESSAGE BEHIND BILL'S STATEMENT TONIGHT WAS ONE OF MOVING FORWARD AND PUTTING THIS BEHIND US. AND I DON'T THINK GOING AT EACH OTHER IS GOING TO MOVE FORWARD IN THAT DIRECTION. SO I'D ASK THAT YOU COOL OFF. AND WE CONSIDER WHAT BILL HAS BROUGHT TO US TONIGHT. LADIES ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD? NO. OKAY. BECKY, ANYTHING FROM YOU BEFORE THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT? NO, MA'AM. GOOD EVENING NATE. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. [ 5. Quarterly Financial Report] NATE BLOOM AND COUNCIL NATE BLOOM WITH THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. HAVE OUR THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL REPORT FOR YOU THIS EVENING. WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION ABOUT THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND SOME STATS. SO I'M GOING TO BE BRIEF THIS EVENING. AS YOU KNOW, THIS REPORT IS ON UNAUDITED AND PRESENTED ON A CASH BASIS, [00:45:01] WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN OUR ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. WE HAVE OUR FIVE KEY INDICATOR AREAS THERE AND OUR COLOR CODED RATING SCALE. IN TOTAL, OUR KEY REVENUES INCREASED 3 MILLION OR 3% OVER THE SAME PERIOD IN 2025. ALL OF OUR OPERATING ACTIVITIES ARE WITHIN BUDGET FOR 2026 AS WELL. I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF THINGS ON THE REVENUE SIDE. THE CITY SALES TAX YOU CAN SEE HAS INCREASED YEAR TO DATE, 6% OVER LAST YEAR. THE COUNTY'S 3%, OUR SHARE OF THE COUNTY SALES TAX IS RIGHT AT PROJECTIONS, YOU CAN SEE AN INCREASE IN USE TAX FOR BOTH THE CITY AND COUNTY. THIS DOES INCLUDE THE FIFA ACTIVITY THAT HAPPENED EARLIER THIS YEAR. SO I WANTED TO GIVE YOU JUST A BRIEF BREAKDOWN BY MONTH OF THAT REVENUE TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF AN IDEA OF WHAT THE FIFA IMPACT WAS TO THE CITY. SO WE STARTED OFF THE QUARTER WITH A JULY DISTRIBUTION, WHICH IS THE MAY SALES. SO THERE'S A TWO MONTH LAG. SALES TAKE PLACE IN MAY. WE GET THE DISTRIBUTION IN JULY. WE ACTUALLY HAD A REALLY ROUGH MONTH. WE WERE DOWN 7.1% IN BOTH SALES AND USE COMBINED. WE REBOUNDED REALLY NICELY IN AUGUST. WE WERE UP 15% IN SALES AND USE TAX COMBINED. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN JUNE SALES. SO RIGHT DURING FIFA AND THEN AUGUST OR SORRY, SEPTEMBER WE WERE UP 10% AS WELL, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN JULY SALES AS WELL. NO REAL CHANGES IN THE EXPENDITURE INDICATORS STILL GREEN. WE DO SEE AN INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR. THE ONLY CHANGE THAT HAPPENED IN THIS THIRD QUARTER WAS COMPENSATION INCREASES FROM THE [INAUDIBLE] STUDY WENT INTO EFFECT IN AUGUST. AND IT'S THE FINAL LOOK AT THE RECAP OF THE WORLD CUP EXPENDITURES. AGAIN, THIS ALL THIS FUNDING WAS ALL IN THE TOURISM FUND FOR THESE EXPENDITURES. WE DID MOVE OVER SOME PERSONNEL COSTS RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY, WORKING SOME OF THE EVENTS HERE IN LENEXA. SO THE ONLY CHANGE FROM JUNE IS THE PERSONNEL LINE ITEM OF $23,500. THERE'S REALLY NO CHANGE ON THE RESERVE POLICY INDICATORS GENERAL FUND. IN JUNE, RIGHT AFTER OUR SECOND HALF DISTRIBUTION WAS AT 44%. WE'VE SPENT SOME OF THAT DOWN TO 38% THIS QUARTER. DEBT SERVICE FUND 96% FUND BALANCE. AGAIN, JUST WANT TO REITERATE THAT THAT IS OUR SHARE OF THE COUNTY WIDE PUBLIC SAFETY. THREE GOING TO THE JUSTICE CENTER TO PAY THAT DEBT. THERE IS NO CHANGE TO THE DEBT MANAGEMENT INDICATORS. OUR INVESTMENT INDICATORS BACK IN JUNE, WE WERE RIGHT AT THE BENCHMARK. OBVIOUSLY, THE FED INCREASED THE INTEREST RATE SINCE THEN. SO OUR BENCHMARK INCREASED AS TYPICAL WITH ALL GOVERNMENTS BASED ON THE NARROW SCOPE OF WHAT WE CAN INVEST IN. IT TAKES TIME FOR US TO THEN CATCH UP TO THE BENCHMARK AND AN INCREASING INTEREST RATE ENVIRONMENT. SO THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE AS OUR LADDERED OUT MATURITIES MATURE, AND WE REINVEST AT THE HIGHER RATE THAN WE GET CLOSER TO THE BENCHMARK. SO THAT'S WHY IN ESSENCE, THEY'RE NOT YELLOW FOR THOSE TWO CATEGORIES. YEP. SO IF IT WAS THE OPPOSITE WHERE THE INTEREST RATES WERE GOING DOWN, WE WOULD BE ABOVE THE BENCHMARK AND THEN REINVESTING AT A TYPICALLY A LOWER RATE. SO WE'RE LAGGING A LITTLE BIT. ECONOMIC INDICATORS. WE ARE TRAILING A LITTLE BIT IN COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS AND SINGLE FAMILY. BUT I'VE LEFT THOSE GREENS DUE TO WHAT THE ACTIVITY THAT TOOK PLACE IN OCTOBER AND WHAT WE HAVE IN THE PENDING PIPELINE. AND THEN FINALLY TOTAL BUILDING PERMIT REVENUE. WE'RE UP ABOUT $100,000 OVER THE SAME PERIOD IN 2025. THAT'S ALL I REALLY HAD FOR YOU THIS EVENING. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. ANYTHING FOR NATE. GREEN IS GOOD. THANK YOU NATE. NEXT, WE'LL TAKE BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR. AT THIS TIME, I WOULD INVITE ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT ANYTHING NOT ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA TO [BUSINESS FROM FLOOR] COME FORWARD FOR BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR. EITHER ONE YOU WANT. YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE THREE MINUTE PROCEDURE AND NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE. OKAY. DAN WILKES LENEXA. MADAM MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. I WANT TO FOCUS TONIGHT ON ONE PART OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S PUBLIC FINDINGS THAT I DIDN'T, [00:50:01] I DON'T THINK SHOULD GET LOST FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, AS BILL MENTIONED, WE'RE COMMUNICATING IN A PRIVATE TEXT. BILL NICKS WASN'T PART OF THAT FOUR PERSON CHAIN, BUT SOMEHOW BILL AND HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH RESIDENTS GOT PULLED INTO IT. AND THEN BILL WAS CHARACTERIZED AS PANDERING TO US. I HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WITH THAT. BILL WASN'T PANDERING. BILL WAS LISTENING TO HIS CONSTITUENTS. WE WENT TO BILL WITH CONCERNS. HE LISTENED. HE TALKED WITH US. HE ASKED QUESTIONS. HE TOOK THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE WERE COMING FROM. HE DIDN'T ALWAYS. WE DIDN'T ALWAYS AGREE WITH BILL, AND BILL DIDN'T ALWAYS AGREE WITH US, BUT HE LISTENED. ISN'T THAT WHAT WE ELECT YOU TO DO? YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH EVERY CONSTITUENT. YOU CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE TO VOTE THE WAY WE WANT. BUT LISTENING TO PEOPLE YOU REPRESENT AND TAKING THEIR CONCERNS SERIOUSLY NEVER SHOULD BE DISMISSED AS PANDERING. THAT'S NOT PANDERING THAT'S REPRESENTATION. AND FRANKLY, I FIND IT PRETTY IRONIC THAT BILL WAS BEING CRITICIZED IN A PRIVATE TEXT CHANGE FOR LISTENING TO RESIDENTS, WHEN THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ULTIMATELY DETERMINED THOSE SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS VIOLATED KOMA. MAYBE BILL WASN'T THE PROBLEM. MAYBE MORE PEOPLE ON THIS COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING WHAT BILL WAS DOING LISTENING. BILL DIDN'T ASK TO BE DRAGGED INTO THE PRIVATE CONVERSATION. OTHERS BROUGHT HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH RESIDENTS INTO IT, AND THEN HIS WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN WAS USED AGAINST HIM. THAT'S NOT FAIR TO BILL, AND IT SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC. WE SHOULD WANT COUNCIL MEMBERS TALKING TO RESIDENTS, ASKING QUESTIONS AND HEARING DIFFERENT SIDES BEFORE MAKING DECISIONS. THAT'S THE JOB. SO BILL, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO US. WE MAY NOT ALWAYS AGREE, BUT YOU DID EXACTLY WHAT WE EXPECT AN ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE TO DO. YOU LISTENED TO THE PEOPLE YOU REPRESENT. THAT SHOULD NEVER BE CRITICIZED. IT SHOULD BE EXPECTED FROM EVERYBODY SITTING ON THIS COUNCIL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. WILKES. ANYTHING ELSE FOR BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR. COME ON DOWN. HI. CECILIA TAPIA. I LIVE IN LENEXA IN WARD ONE, AND I JUST HAVE SOME INFORMATION FOR THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ON SOME FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, KEEP OUR TAXES AFFORDABLE. BECAUSE EVER SINCE I MOVED HERE, LIKE TWO YEARS AGO, THEY'VE GONE UP SIGNIFICANTLY, LIKE $2,000. AND THAT'S A LOT FOR A SINGLE PERSON IN A HOUSEHOLD. SO THERE IS A NOFO THAT'S OUT FROM THE EPA THAT'S FOR BROWNFIELDS FUNDING. IT'S A LOT OF MONEY THAT'S OUT THERE THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE. YOU ALL SHOULD CONSIDER APPLYING. THE PURPOSE IS FOR REDEVELOPMENT OF PROPERTIES THAT ARE UNDER DEVELOPED. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE AREAS THAT ARE UNDERPERFORMING THAT ARE BLIGHTED. SO THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF REVAMP THEM AND THEN BRING THEM BACK TO THE TAX ROLLS. THAT WAY YOU CAN KEEP IT MORE AFFORDABLE FOR US THAT LIVE HERE IN LENEXA. IT'S A LOVELY CITY. WE ALL LIVE HERE BECAUSE OF THE PARKS AND THE GREEN SPACE, AND THEN WE WOULD LIKE IT IF YOU WOULD KEEP THAT. AS YOU KNOW, I'VE MOVED FROM MISSOURI. I USED TO LIVE ON ACREAGE. AND I SPECIFICALLY MOVED TO THE AREA THAT'S NEAR THE PARK LAND BECAUSE I LOVE ACREAGE. BUT I WAS JUST DISAPPOINTED THAT IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ALL ARE GOING TO REDEVELOP THAT LAND AFTER EVERYBODY PASSED A THREE EIGHT CENT SALES TAX. AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL PAY ATTENTION TO THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING THE GREEN SPACE AND THEN SEEKING OUTSIDE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY. AND LASTLY, I SAW THE GENERAL KOBACH'S OFFICE SANCTIONS, AND I'M FROM MISSOURI AND I MOVED TO KANSAS. AND THEN LIKE THIS SORT OF STUFF DOESN'T HAPPEN ON THE MISSOURI SIDE. SO I'M JUST KIND OF DISAPPOINTED. AND I'M REALLY CONSIDERING JUST SELLING MY HOUSE, YOU KNOW, AS SOON AS I RETIRE AND JUST LEAVING AND GOING BACK. BECAUSE IT'S VERY DISAPPOINTING. I JUST WANT FOLKS THAT REPRESENT US TO REALLY DO THE RIGHT THING AND NOT OPERATE BEHIND OUR BACK. SO I'LL END WITH THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS CATALINA STEINBERG AND I LIVE HERE IN LENEXA, AND THE FIRST THING I'D LIKE TO DO IS EXPRESS MY DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE CITY COUNCIL. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE EXCELLENT GENTLEMAN FROM WARD TWO, MR. NICKS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO OUR CONCERNS AND VOTING ACCORDINGLY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS TONIGHT TO TRY TO RESTORE OUR FAITH IN THE CITY COUNCIL. I AM DISAPPOINTED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S FINDINGS. I'M APPALLED BY THE SHADOW GOVERNMENT THAT SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN RUNNING OUTSIDE OF VIEW OF THE CONSTITUENTS TO MAKE DECISIONS LIKE TAKING OUR GREEN SPACE [00:55:03] AND PARK FOR HABITAT. AS A LATINA. SORRY, I DON'T LIKE PUBLIC SPEAKING, BUT AS A LATINA WHO HAS WORKED VERY HARD TO ACHIEVE HOME OWNERSHIP, MYSELF AND MY NEIGHBORS OF VARIOUS ETHNICITIES CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THAT THE DECISION TO TAKE THE PARK FOR HABITAT PROJECT WAS A DIRECT ATTACK ON US BECAUSE OUR CITY COUNCIL DOESN'T BELIEVE THAT MINORITIES LIKE MYSELF AND MY NEIGHBORS DESERVE TO HAVE A PARK AND GREEN SPACE THAT PEOPLE LIKE US SHOULD BE LIVING ADJACENT TO, OR IN HOUSING PROJECTS THAT OUR HARD WORK TO ACHIEVE THE DREAM OF SAFE AND QUALITY LIVING ISN'T FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME AND MY NEIGHBORS. I CAME HERE IN 2013 WITH NOTHING, AND I SLEPT ON THE FLOOR IN A WAREHOUSE IN DE SOTO TO GET OUR BUSINESS STARTED. AND I BUILT THIS BUSINESS WITH MY FAMILY, AND WE SURVIVED THE PANDEMIC. AND I BELIEVED IN LENEXA, AND THAT'S WHY I CHOSE TO LIVE HERE. THIS COUNCIL SEES ME AS LESS THAN AND NOT DESERVING AND MY CHILD AS LESS THAN AND NOT DESERVING AND ALL OF MY NEIGHBORS AS LESS DESERVING. WE WANT OUR PARK DESIGNATION BACK, AND I'M DISAPPOINTED BY THE AMOUNT OF GREEN SPACE THAT IS AVAILABLE THAT YOU WOULD PICK OUR LITTLE DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOOD AND ROB US OF OUR GREEN SPACE FOR OUR CHILDREN. WE AS A COMMUNITY WANT OUR PARK DESIGNATION RESTORED BASED ON WHAT WAS UNCOVERED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. I DON'T REALLY HAVE FAITH THAT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, AND YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR US. BUT I DO WANT TO TAKE A SECOND, AGAIN, TO THANK MR. NICKS AND MR. CHARLTON FOR RESPECTING THE CONSTITUENTS AND THEIR CONCERNS. THANK YOU MISS STEINBERG. ALL RIGHT. HELLO, COUNCIL. YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE. YES. MY NAME IS ROSE LEE. I LIVE IN LENEXA. I'M ACTUALLY UNDER WARD TWO. I AM HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE OF THE WHAT YOU HAVE SAID BILL NICKS. I UNDERSTAND, AND I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S FINDING. I JUST AM ALSO DISAPPOINTED IN HOW THIS COUNCIL HAS BEEN RUNNING AND HOW YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER TO, I GUESS, COME TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT THIS WHOLE SITUATION. I AM A STUDENT AT KU AND I'M MAJORING IN SOCIAL WORK, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'M PURSUING AND ESPECIALLY IN POLICY WORK AND MACRO WORK IN GENERAL. AND YES, THE KANSAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT IS NOT A BUREAUCRATIC HURDLE OR JUST A SET OF TOOLS THAT WE USE. IT IS AN EXPLICIT COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY WITH THE WITH THE COMMUNITY. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY THAT WHILE IT IS EASY TO MOVE PAST THINGS AND TO MOVE FORWARD THINGS WITH A GOOD, I GUESS A BETTER OUTLOOK AT THE SITUATION. I JUST REALLY URGE THE COUNCIL TO USE THIS AS A MOMENT TO NOT BE DEFENSIVE AND NOT HEATED, BUT TO USE AND COMMIT TO COMPLETE COMPLIANCE WITH STATE TRANSPARENCY LAWS MOVING FORWARD. THANK YOU. GAYLENE VAN HORNE. 8131 ROSEHILL ROAD. LENEXA. MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THANK YOU TO CHIEF SCHMITZ AND ALL THOSE WHO SERVE UNDER HIM. I DID ATTEND THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE CIP DISCUSSION LAST WEEK. SINCE THIS MEETING WAS NOT LIVE STREAMED OR RECORDED, I WOULD REQUEST A COUPLE OF CLARIFICATIONS. WHAT I READ IN THE CIP WAS THAT THE CITY'S POLICE DEPARTMENT NEEDS A $10 MILLION INDOOR FIREARMS RANGE TO INCLUDE AN EIGHT LANE, 50 YARD RANGE WITH MODERN BULLET TRAP AND VENTILATION SYSTEM, AS WELL AS A RANGE MASTER'S OFFICE, EQUIPMENT STORAGE OFFICER, READY ROOM AND MECHANICAL ROOM. WHAT I HEARD THE CHIEF SAY WAS THAT THEY CURRENTLY USE ONE, THE NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY, WHICH HAS A SHORTER RANGE THAN WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR CERTIFICATION. TWO A FACILITY IN DE SOTO, WHICH REQUIRES A 40 TO 45 MINUTE TRAVEL TIME AND THREE SOME OUT OF STATE TRAINING. MUCH OF THIS REQUIRES PAYMENT OF OVERTIME. I'M CURIOUS WHEN THE $10 MILLION FACILITY WOULD BE AT A BREAK EVEN POINT VERSUS THE OVERTIME, [01:00:07] OR EVEN HIRING ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL. ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28TH, AT APPROXIMATELY 5 P.M., WE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, 83RD IN ROSE HILL HEARD A VERY LOUD EXPLOSION, LIKE A BIG TRANSFORMER BLOWING UP. THEN WE HEARD TWO FOLLOW UP EXPLOSION SOUNDS NOT AS LOUD. IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE WAS POLICE TRAINING AT THE NOW BOARDED UP OLD CITY CENTER. WHAT KIND OF TRAINING AND WHAT WAS THE TRAINING FOR? I REALIZED SOME TRAINING MAY BE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. HOWEVER, AFTER HEARING THE CHIEF ON TUESDAY IDENTIFY SOME OF THE TRAINING AREAS, I WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR A LOUD EXPLOSION IN THAT NOW BOARDED UP FORMER POLICE STATION. CERTAINLY, I BELIEVE THAT THE RESIDENTS IN OUR AREA DESERVE SOME ANSWERS. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE FROM BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR. SEEING NONE. CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN, PLEASE? MOTION BY COURTNEY, SECOND BY AVERY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? MEETING IS ADJOURNED. GOOD NIGHT. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.