Issues | Encouraging a Healthy Balanced Economy

For decades our citizens and stakeholders have talked about diversifying our local economy. For decades, Lee’s Summit has heavily relied on residential sales tax and property tax for our revenues. But the problem is, we need to diversify the economic base to find a larger variety of ways to increase tax revenue from other sources besides just our residents.

When I became mayor nearly four years ago, I focused on diversifying our economic base by facilitating a welcoming environment for businesses to invest and expand in our community.

 In the last four years we have expanded our tax base by approving over $1 billion in new construction developments with much of it coming in the way of commercial investments. 

Sales tax revenues have been strong due to approved retail center revitalization projects, and approved new developments.  We could not be more proud with the quality of the growth in our local economy, especially in these developments:

• Streets of West Pryor: Firebirds, McKeevers, Shake Shack and soon to open Red Door,

• Summit Orchard: the new Aldi’s, Home Goods, Ross Dress for Less, and soon to open Cooper’s Hawk,

•  and numerous other commercial developments.