ShawneeDispatch.com

Ron Weigel

Ron Weigel said commercial vacancies in Shawnee were the main reason he decided to run for Shawnee City Council.

"I'm doing this for economic growth," Weigel said. "I see what I can see with my eyes, in the fact that I see a lot of vacant buildings, I see a lot of vacant grocery stores : and people have asked me what's going on, why all these vacancies."

In challenging Neal Sawyer's bid for re-election to the Council, Weigel said he would like to see Shawnee receive the same kind of economic development he sees when he travels to other cities. He said he also wants to make sure the city's tax level doesn't get too high and discourage new businesses coming to Shawnee.

Concerning commercial vacancies, Weigel acknowledged that some empty spots may have former tenants still paying rent.

"We just have to be aggressive; if that's all we can do, that's all we can do," Weigel said. ": If there's nothing else we can do, we need to communicate that to people, because it doesn't look very attractive to have a bunch of lease signs out in front of buildings."

Weigel said his main concern was to increase the city's revenue by increasing new business. He said he was concerned because Shawnee residents have told him they feel there is nothing to do in the city, and they go to the Legends or Overland Park shopping centers and attractions instead.

"We need to get a major development in Shawnee; what that is, I don't know yet," he said.

Weigel said the city needed to be aggressive. He said he knows people who established businesses in Olathe or other nearby cities who didn't even consider Shawnee as a possibility, so there was something the city needed to change to attract development.

"It's got to be a good thing for the city, too; it can't be one-sided," he said.

Asked if he agreed with the city's property tax rate increase in 2007, Weigel said he understood the city needed money to continue its operations.

"I think the city should have been more aggressive in attracting new businesses so we wouldn't have to raise taxes," Weigel said.

While he would like to see the city lower the mill levy, Weigel said he wouldn't put a timetable on efforts to reduce taxes. He said the city just needed to focus on economic development and make sure not to raise taxes further.

"You've got to start from day one when you start a job and work toward a goal until it's accomplished," he said. "If you get the property taxes up so high, then people are going to look elsewhere to put their businesses, because taxes are too high."

Olathe, Lenexa and Leawood all have higher property taxes in Shawnee, but Weigel said this was evidence that there's something the city was lacking in its efforts to encourage economic development.

"Apparently, they're doing something to attract the businesses, because they're getting economic growth," he said. "If you look at what's happening in Olathe by the Bass Pro, out off K-10 by Watson's: apparently they're offering some sort of incentive."

Weigel said while he has reviewed the city's financial incentives policy, he wouldn't want to comment on any proposed changes to the policy at this time.

As for city projects, Weigel said he would need to learn more about what the costs and plans were for the Safety Center before commenting on what he thinks should be done with the building after the police department moves to the Justice Center.

He said if it's feasible for the city, he would like to see more older streets in Ward II improved. He said people have also told him they would like to see the downtown area further beautified.

"I'd be open to whatever ideas, whatever they've come up with," Weigel said. "When we drive through the city, as residents, we want it as attractive as we can get it."