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Shawnee Chamber, Visit Shawnee and EDC present budgets; Visit seeks 5% increase, EDC seeks 4%
Summary
The Shawnee Chamber, Visit Shawnee and the Economic Development Council presented annual reports and budgets to the council committee; Visit Shawnee requested a 5% funding increase (to $273,000) and the EDC requested a 4% increase (to $563,680) for 2026.
Leaders from the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce, Visit Shawnee and the Economic Development Council (EDC) presented their annual activities and budget requests at the city’s May committee meeting, describing membership services, tourism promotion and business‑attraction work and asking the council to consider modest funding increases in the 2026 budget.
Anne Smith Tate, president and CEO of the Chamber, described the organization’s role as a business advocate and said the chamber is a small staff operation with "5, full time and then 1 part time or, yeah, 6 full time and then 1 part time person" (as presented). She outlined strategic pillars — impact, attract, develop and connect — and highlighted the chamber’s government affairs work and local business programs.
Beth Ansell presented on behalf of Visit Shawnee and said the division manages tourism promotion (including Old Shawnee Days, Moonlight Market and sports‑tourism outreach). Ansell reported a fiscal year budget of about $260,000 and requested a 5% increase for 2026 to $273,000, citing the addition of new hotels and marketing programs such as a "Meet Me in Shawnee" campaign and an updated VisitShawnee website.
EDC leadership described efforts to attract and retain businesses, support downtown redevelopment and promote industrial sites. The EDC presentation listed accomplishments including attraction/retention projects and workforce initiatives; the EDC proposed a 4% increase for 2026, taking its budget request to $563,680.
Councilmembers complimented the organizations for outreach and place‑making work, highlighted Midland Entertainment District efforts and asked for transparency on budgets and measurable outcomes. Councilmember Tony Gillette thanked the presenters for work promoting Midland Drive. The chamber and EDC provided descriptive revenue and expense breakdowns in their slide materials; no formal funding decisions were made at the meeting and the presentations were forwarded to the city manager for budget negotiations.
