2012 State of the City Address
February 15, 2012
Mayor Mike Boehm, City of Lenexa
Good afternoon. Thank you for coming today
A special thanks to Blake and the Chamber staff for all you do to prepare for this event. We’re fortunate to have such a talented group of people as our community partners. You do an exceptional job of promoting our city to businesses, here and across the nation, and we appreciate it. I’d also like to thank Kansas City Power &Light for sponsoring this luncheon.
Last week, Lenexa lost a true friend with the passing of Colonel Frank Weimer. When I first came to work in Lenexa in 1985, Frank was the Executive Director of the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce. He was later recruited away from the chamber to run for the Kansas Legislature, where he served the citizens of Lenexa for 6 years. Over the past 25+ years, Frank was called upon by the city and the chamber to lead a number of community efforts and campaigns. Frank continued serving the people of Lenexa as a member of the Lenexa Planning Commission until his death. Frank was a statesman, a gentleman, and a gentle man. He will be missed by all who knew him.
This is the 10th year that I’ve had the privilege and honor to present the annual State of the City Address. It goes without saying, I like Lenexa. I’m a big fan of this city. It’s my home, where I work, and I know the same goes for many of you here today.
What makes us a premier community, one in which businesses thrive and residents have identified as a great place to live and raise a family, is the people that make up our community.
- It’s you, the business people. You bring the entrepreneurial spirit that creates jobs and enriches the lives of our citizens and visitors.
- It’s our residents, and their commitment to keeping this community strong.
- It’s our city staff, who is dedicated to excellence in service, programs and citizen safety.
- It’s our volunteers. From the boy scouts who plant trees, to the Board members who devote time each month, meeting and planning.
- And it’s our civic leaders. Eight councilmembers whom I’m proud to work with as we guide this city toward a bright, sustainable future
In 2011, Lenexa was honored once again with regional and national attention.
For the second time, CNN/Money Magazine placed Lenexa in the top 50 of their 100 Best Places to Live, in the United States. We were the only city in the state of Kansas, and one of only two cities in the metropolitan region to receive this recognition.
As a special honor, Fire Station 3 was one of the sites chosen to receive a 4-foot piece of structural steel from the fallen Tower One of the World Trade Center. The memorial was created using volunteer time and donated funds, and it is now on permanent public display. I invite you all to drop by Fire Station 3 to see this moving memorial in person.
Lenexa also received the Bronze Award for the third year in a row as the “Best Business-Friendly City/County Government” by Ingram’s Magazine. We were the smallest community in the region to earn this honor. This award is a direct reflection of the successful partnership between our business community, the city’s elected and professional staff, and the Chamber. Congratulations to everyone here for your part in contributing to this award.
Early last year, the City of Lenexa staff re-defined its vision, mission and values. They wrote a series of statements that now serve as their guiding principles, and convey their shared purpose in serving the Lenexa community.
Posters of these statements have been hung on the walls of our city offices as a reminder of their guiding principles, and have even been painted on the wall of the new Municipal Services Center.
I’d like to take a moment to introduce the city staff members who are here today. These are just some of your community partners who serve at City Hall, Police, Fire, Parks and Municipal Services. Would our staff members please stand up?
I’d like for the department heads (including Beccy) to remain standing so you can get a good look at them.
These are the leaders of our professional staff and they are consistently recognized by their peers as being among the best in the nation in their respective fields. Under the leadership of Eric Wade, they work very hard to keep Lenexa a strong community with a national reputation for innovation and excellence. Their teamwork, and I DO MEAN TEAMWORK, makes our jobs as elected officials much easier and your lives - as citizens and investors in our community - richer and more productive – especially during the past 3-years of recession. Please join me in thanking them for their excellent service.
I’d like to recognize Judge Katie McElhinney. Katie joined our team in Municipal Court in June of 2010. She has more than 15 years of legal experience, and we’re fortunate to have her on our staff.
We were also pleased to welcome Leslee Fonseca last year. Leslee has been with the city since May, serving as the Assistant to the City Administrator, a position that became available when Matt Shatto resigned to become City Administrator for North Kansas City. Leslee served the City of Mission for 5 years, and has also worked for Olathe and Kansas City prior to joining Lenexa.
Last year, the Department of Community Development had a change in leadership with the resignation of former director David Knopick. I’d like to thank Deputy City Attorney Beccy Yocham for stepping up to assume the role of interim director while we search for a permanent department leader. Beccy has extensive experience working with the Planning Commission and guiding community development matters, including development and zoning, economic development and capital improvements.
On your tables, you’ll find the Year in Review publication for 2011, as well as the City Honors and Awards brochure, which highlights the accomplishments of many of the city staff and leaders.
One of those leaders is Municipal Services Director Chuck Williams. Last year, Chuck was accepted into the inaugural class of the APWA, Donald Stone Center for Public Works Leadership Fellow program. A Leadership Fellow serves as a mentor to aspiring leaders, and it’s the highest achievable level in the program. Congratulations to Chuck on this achievement.
Police Lieutenant Dawn Layman has been serving on the Lenexa police force since 1993. Last year, she was sworn in as President of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives. This is the first time NAWLEE has appointed a president that was not in the position of chief of police. Congratulations, Dawn.
Councilmember Mandy Stuke, your immediate past chair, was appointed to the National League of Cities Community and Economic Development Steering Committee. With Mandy’s past experience with the chamber, the Lenexa Planning Commission, and now the City Council, we know that Mandy will hit the ground running and be a valued contributor to NLC.
Among his many other honors last year, Councilmember Andy Huckaba was appointed to the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee. Andy was selected based on his expertise in telecommunications policy. He is one of just 4 city leaders from across the country serving in this capacity.
Andy also received the Jane E. Lawton Commemorative award from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, an honor presented to an "extraordinary champion of local government in communications.” Congratulations to Mandy and Andy on these impressive achievements. [NLC now has 3 Lenexa Council Members on steering committees, including Diane Linver on the HD committee.]
Encouraging citizens to become more engaged and to be active contributors to our community was one of our targeted goals for last year. I’m pleased to report that more volunteers are devoting their time and energy to our city than ever before. Last year, Lenexa volunteers donated 8,464 recorded hours, saving the city $61,000 based on minimum wage and more than $150,000 using the Kansas Volunteer Contribution Rate. We send our thanks to all of our volunteers for their service.
Volunteers also serve on the Arts Council, Parks and Recreation Board, Planning Commission, and Code Board of Appeals. Together, these groups account for 32 volunteers and countless hours of preparation, planning and meeting time devoted to important issues and programs for the city. Their work makes an invaluable contribution to Lenexa. On behalf of the city, I’d like to express my gratitude for all they do for our community.
Providing value to our citizens and business community has always been our focus. That focus continues to sharpen in difficult economic times like those of the past few years. Most cities continue to do more with less, and Lenexa is no exception.
But what sets Lenexa apart is that regardless of the state of the economy, we remain mindful of what value means for you – the business person, the resident and the visitor. For you, value means:
- Quality service and programs,
- safe and well-maintained neighborhoods,
- a business-friendly environment,
- roads without potholes, and
- traffic that moves smoothly.
For those of us who serve you, it means maintaining a high level of quality in all areas of service, infrastructure maintenance and development, without sacrificing one area for another. In short, it means delivering value for your tax dollar across the board.
The results of our bi-annual Direction Finder Citizen Survey were reviewed by the Governing Body at our February 7th meeting. According to the citizen survey, resident’s responses showed an increase in satisfaction of overall value received for their tax dollars.
At a time when tax dollars are stretched thin, we’re encouraged to see that our commitment to value holds strong.
That commitment is never more clearly recognized than when it’s tested by events like last winter’s major snow storms, or July’s apartment fire at the Oak Park Village complex. On that day, 13 heavy fire engines, 5 utility fire vehicles and 10 ambulances responded.
Seventy-two (72) firefighters were on the scene. In all, more than 100 responders assisted in the incident. 19 additional, unrelated emergencies occurred during the fire, and while some were handled by outside agencies, most were handled by Lenexa personnel.
Times like those remind us why we’re here. They make us strive to work harder to maintain a stronger, more sustainable service base, and to approach our budget with practicality and responsibility. Compared to recent years, I’m pleased to report that our city budget outlook is improving. We have endured the battle of the great recession and saw an increase of 2% in city sales tax receipts during 2011. We continue to make adjustments with staffing levels and are taking other cost-saving measures to protect the bottom line.
In December, the City Council approved a revised policy that increases the reserve amounts held in the city’s operating and debt service funds. This change puts the city in a stronger financial position now and in the future and will help preserve our Triple A bond rating.
When it comes to Capital Improvement Projects, we leverage your tax dollars with other dollars by creating funding partnerships, with county, state, and federal participation.
The 2012-2016 CIP, has planned funding of nearly $144 million. The city’s portion amounts to approximately $88 million and the remaining $56 million is funded from partner resources. That’s a breakdown of 61% city funds, and 39% partner funds.
Forming partnerships like these allows us to expand our investment dollars.
Last year, the Fire Department and Lenexa Rotary Club teamed up to purchase a customized mobile safety classroom, designed to provide hands-on education in the areas of fire safety, severe weather safety, and injury prevention. The trailer has already proven to be a tremendous asset to our community, and other than staff time, the city has incurred no costs for this purchase. A federal grant provided 90% of the funding, and the Lenexa Rotary Club provided the remaining 10% of the costs. The Rotary Club also provides volunteers to help man the trailer and run the program, and we thank them for their commitment of time and resources.
The new Municipal Services greenhouse that was designed and built by the city’s Stormwater crew is another way we’ve stretched our budget. By building this structure on an under-utilized portion of the parking lot at the new Municipal Services Center, the crew can grow plants that will be used in landscaping throughout the city for a fraction of the cost it takes to buy them. It also features an underground cistern that captures rainwater used for watering plants, and an automatic watering system, which reduces personnel hours.
As usual, Lenexa is moving forward and making progress on public improvements. Last year, we began installing flashing yellow, left-turn arrow signals at various intersections throughout the city. We’ve already received positive feedback from citizens on these traffic enhancements that allow for safer and more efficient left turns.
The 87th Street project from Renner Boulevard to Haven Street nears completion. This project involved reconstruction and realignment of 87th Street Parkway by dividing the roadway to create a new block of development lots in between the east and westbound lanes.
The major item of work that remains is the installation of a traffic signal truss, with approximately 6 weeks of final work to follow. We are currently targeting March 17 for the installation of the new light truss, as long as the weather cooperates.
Progress is also being made on the project to improve traffic flow and safety on 87th Street from Pflumm Road to Renner Boulevard. A public information meeting was held last week, utility relocations are underway, and construction is scheduled to begin this spring. The project is estimated for completion in spring 2013. We ask for your patience as we finish this final section of 87th Street and encourage you to patronize the businesses located in the construction zone during this disruption.
The first phase of a multi-phase project to widen Quivira Road between 99th Street and 105th Street began last month. Once completed, the project will have a significantly positive impact on traffic flow on Quivira, which is good news for our residents in the area and for shoppers heading to the Orchard Corners Shopping Center and Sam’s Club.
Just last week, we received word from KDOT that completion work on the US-69 & I-35 improvement project has been delayed until this summer. The entire US-69 reconstruction project in Lenexa is now scheduled to be completed by the end of July, connecting the “tunnel to nowhere” to 75th Street.
The city’s two destination parks - Black Hoof Park and Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park – were both in the process of receiving significant improvements last year. At Black Hoof, construction of phase 2 park improvements is complete. We now have wonderful new amenities that include a beautiful shelter that seats about 160 people and offers an incredible view of the dam and spillway, several new play areas, a natural play structure, looping walking trail, new restrooms and additional parking.
The Sar-Ko-Par Trails project to restore Rose’s Pond is underway. Rose’s Pond is a popular fishing spot for the children, but sediment build-up had become a detriment to the pond wildlife. The dam needed reconstruction due to settling and tree root growth, and the pond banks needed additional rocks for compaction and erosion prevention.
In this artist’s rendering, you can see how the pond will be completely transformed after restoration is complete, to include a new dam and spillway with a pedestrian bridge, seating and viewing areas, and new boardwalks. The project will be completed by mid-May in time for the 2012 BBQ Battle.
In the recent ETC survey, citizens rated road maintenance among their top priorities. The 3/8-cent sales tax that was approved by citizens in 2008 provides partial funding for those projects.
Since its inception, close to $7 million in sales tax revenue has been applied to parks and road improvement projects. More than half of that total – nearly $4 million - has been spent on Pavement Maintenance alone.
Projects funded by the 3/8 cent sales tax will soon feature this icon - on signage and literature, so citizens will know which projects are supported by the tax. I cannot begin to tell you how important this revenue source has been during the recession in helping us keep up with street maintenance and park improvements.
Our first parks master plan, the Lenexa Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Comprehensive Plan, is nearing completion.
The effort will conclude in the development of a long-range plan for implementing recommendations over the coming years. A special meeting of the City Council, Parks Board, Arts Council and Planning Commission was held last night to finalize the recommendations for implementation, and I’m pleased to report we had nearly 100% attendance by the board even on Valentine’s Day, again showing the commitment of these volunteers.
After years of planning, the Parks and Recreation, and Municipal Services departments have much-needed new service centers. This “before” photo is the old Municipal Services administration building -- referred to as “the white house”. It was a cramped, old residential dwelling that was moved to the Cottonwood location in the mid-1970s. Its size and condition prevented it from functioning as an efficient center for Municipal Services operations.
The new building offers 14,000 square feet of Municipal Services administrative space that also houses the Street, Storm-water, and Facilities divisions, and much needed equipment storage space.
The new Parks Service Center is a remodel of the original Lenexa Hotel, built in 1906. In the 1960’s, a warehouse was built around the hotel and it was remodeled for business use. We purchased the building from the most recent owner, Sebring and Company, in March 2009. Parks staff moved into the renovated 25,000-square-feet facility on November 1.
We’ve continued our public investment at City Center with the recent improvements made at the 87th Street and Renner area, as well as the Central Green project that was completed this year. Central Green now provides a very attractive amenity, in addition to managing storm-water for the majority of City Center.
Development at City Center is looking hopeful once again. There is more interest in the site than we have seen in a while, which is a great sign. At City Center East, the owner is actively marketing the completed property and we are seeing more interest from potential developers and users.
In 2011, overall commercial construction for the city declined with 3 fewer permits issued than in 2010. New commercial construction permit valuation was down $11.9 million year over year.
2011 was a stronger year for residential construction. Compared to 2010, total new residential construction permits increased by 21, and valuation was up by more than $4.4 million.
As a side note, I’d like to extend congratulations to Steve Hughes and the staff at Cottonwood Canyon for being recognized by Kansas City Homes and Gardens Magazine as the New Home Community of the Year for 2011. Only one award in this category is given in the metro area each year.
Lenexa has been fortunate to attract new businesses to our city. Noted on the screen are some of the businesses that have located or expanded here in 2011. They represent a variety of industries, including the Bioscience industry, Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing, Food and Retail.
In addition to these businesses, the EPA is coming to Lenexa this Summer, and will occupy the former Applebees location at College and Renner.
Distillery on 86th Terrace opened last fall. It has the potential to become a regional destination with three event areas and a total of 6,500 square feet of event space to accommodate up to 300 guests. The owner expects to effectively compete with a “certain local brewing company” once tasting legislation is approved by the Kansas Legislature.
Where possible, Lenexa takes innovative approaches to development, whether it’s new like City Center, or in established areas.
Orchard Corners represents the city’s first Community Improvement District, established last year at the request of the center’s owner. The CID allows the property owner to levy additional sales tax to fund various improvements in the District. The decision was instrumental in revitalizing the Center, and attracting tenants such as Stein Mart, Nordstrom Rack and Carter’s Babies and Kids.
Lenexa residents continue to show interest in revitalization incentives. Last year, the city awarded $37,000 in grant money to 21 residential property owners within the city’s Neighborhood Revitalization District. The total investment made by property owners was more than $220,000 for a leverage ratio of nearly 6 times.
As we begin 2012, the outlook for the city’s future is optimistic. Our 2012 budget has us off to a great start.
- This year’s budget of $103 million, which - including the increased projected reserves - represents an increase of less than 1%.
- City personnel levels remain unchanged at 430 budgeted positions, which means service levels will remain steady and strong.
- Due to the 3/8-cent sales tax, the budget will continue funding for the pavement maintenance program and parks projects.
After hours of discussion and review of numerous alternatives, the Governing Body voted to increase the property tax mill levy by 3 mills for the 2012 budget. This increase was necessary to offset the nearly 5-mill loss resulting from the machinery and equipment property tax exemption implemented by the Kansas Legislature several years ago and the impacts of the recession on sales tax and property values. We are confident that this increase will maintain a structural balance for the city’s budget for the next 5-years.
In 2012, we look forward to renewed interest in City Center and the exciting amenities and opportunities it will bring for businesses, residents and visitors. We are making decisions and beginning planning efforts for the new Civic Center there.
This year, we will continue to focus our efforts around building on the investments we’ve made in this city, and enhancing value with services.
With a stronger financial outlook, a renewed mission, vision and value promise, and a focus on providing value for the tax dollar, we will continue to work hard to provide the highest level of service, and maintain Lenexa as the premier community it is, today and into the future.
Finally, I’d like to thank the City Council for their hard work and dedication. Without them, our progress would not be as steady and our vision would not be as clear.
Thanks, again, to Blake and the Chamber staff, and to KCP & L for planning and hosting today’s luncheon. Thank you to Mary LeCompte for assistance with today’s speech and slide show presentation. Thanks to Commerce Bank – especially Shannon O’Doherty, Mark McGavran, and David Woolf – for their support during those times when my duties as mayor take me away from the bank, and ….Finally,
Thanks to all of you for attending. We value the partnership that the city shares with our business community and the chamber and we look forward to the coming year.