Greater Topeka Chamber urges coordinated economic development, highlights housing and permitting work

Juliet Abdon, president of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce and senior vice president of the Greater Topeka Partnership, told the Citizens Government Review Committee that the chamber’s work centers on supporting existing businesses and coordinating regional economic development.

“I'm Juliet Abdon, the president of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce. I'm also the senior vice president of the Greater Topeka Partnership,” Abdon said as she described the partnership’s four-member structure and the chamber’s role in government and regulatory support.

Abdon said the chamber prioritizes retention and expansion of businesses as much as recruitment, and listed factors businesses consider beyond population when choosing a community: “quality of life,” regulatory environment, taxation and how easy it is to work with city and county government. She told the committee Topeka has seen recent wage growth and noted Shawnee County grew last year even if some city limits did not.

On housing, Abdon told the committee the chamber had surveyed stakeholders and found a need for a spectrum of housing types. She described coordination between the chamber and city departments when residential projects arise: “We have a very strong relationship with our city and our county,” she said, adding that economic development entities and city staff regularly communicate about projects.

Abdon also addressed permitting. She said state-level efforts to standardize permit timelines were unnecessary in Topeka because the city already operates a faster permitting process: “It looks like we already had that fast track system that was happening here in Topeka,” she said.

On elections and council structure, Abdon described trade-offs between at-large and district representation and said the chamber’s political-action committee — a separate, loosely affiliated entity — endorses local candidates. She also said chamber members value transparency when taxes or major funding questions are discussed, and urged that business and other taxing entities be included in public education about any proposed tax changes.

The chamber offered to share its legislative agenda and materials with the committee. Abdon said the chamber is coordinating regionally with neighboring cities to form a stronger MSA for economic recruitment and emphasized the value of ongoing city–county–private sector collaboration.

Connie Jacobson, vice chair of the committee, and committee member Zachary Surick asked follow-up questions about how the chamber liaises with developers and with city staff. Abdon said the chamber both helps businesses navigate regulatory issues and, when needed, connects them directly with city departments or KDOT for project-specific problems.

The chamber said it will share its legislative agenda and other reports with the committee for further review.