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Commissioners renew 2025 industrial revenue bond tax exemptions for multiple businesses; county to update public appraisal site
Summary
Shawnee County approved annual renewals of industrial revenue bond (IRB) tax-exemption agreements for multiple properties after officials confirmed required payments had been made; commissioners discussed updating the county appraisal website to display PILOT/agreed payments for transparency.
The Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 9 approved the annual renewal of industrial revenue bond (IRB) tax-exemption agreements for 2025 for a set of commercial properties after county staff confirmed the agreed payments had been paid in full.
County officials presented the list of properties and the agreed-upon annual in-lieu tax amounts the companies paid to qualify for the IRB renewals. The commission was told each property met the requirements of the original resolutions and had paid the full agreed amounts. The board voted 3-0 to renew the IRB exemptions for the listed companies.
The properties and reported 2025 payments presented to the board were: - Heartland Health Holdings LLC — $12,192 - Topeka Hospital LLC — $623,000 - Topeka Grama Hotel LLC — $34,000 - Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka — $44,436 - Walmart Fulfillment Services LLC — $3,430 - AWE Auburn Hills LLC — $260,000 - AWE Windchase LLC — $88,000 - Cedarhurst of Topeka Real Estate LLC — $1,500 - 220 Southeast Sixth LLC — $63,000
Commissioners discussed public confusion about what appears on the county appraisal website and how IRB/PILOT (payments in lieu of taxes) amounts are displayed. County officials said the appraisal site currently shows amounts that can appear lower than the agreed PILOTs, which has caused taxpayer confusion. The clerk’s office and the county appraiser indicated they will work with information technology staff to modify the appraisal site so the agreed IRB payments are visible.
A motion to approve the renewals was made by Commissioner Kevin Cook and seconded by Commissioner Bill Rippon; the motion passed 3-0.
County officials characterized IRBs as a long-standing economic development tool; at the meeting they said the IRB structure requires the full agreed annual payment to be made for eligibility and that, over the life of the agreement, taxpayers do not lose the previously levied tax revenue because the payments are structured to match or exceed the prior tax amount.
