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De Soto Council formalizes $190,000 Chamber/EDC agreement to support business retention and marketing
Summary
Council approved a formal agreement providing $190,000 in 2026 support to the De Soto Chamber/EDC, outlining deliverables including business outreach and regional marketing; EDC leaders offered to share de‑identified employment counts if businesses consent.
The De Soto City Council voted Feb. 19 to formalize its relationship with the De Soto Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council through a professional services agreement that commits $190,000 in 2026 funding.
City staff described the agreement as a way to convert a longstanding practice of annual allocations into a scope‑driven contract with measurable deliverables, including business retention and expansion outreach, marketing cooperation (Team Kansas participation), and assistance with downtown streetscape and façade programs. Tim Halverson, identified at the meeting as president of the De Soto Economic Development Council, told the council he and his team would ask employers for information such as employee counts and, with permission, could provide de‑identified aggregate figures to the city.
Kevin Hahnemichael, the EDC chair, framed the funding as the city's investment in local business capacity, arguing the arrangement supplies staff and program support the city does not provide in‑house: "This is the city of DeSoto's investment in business," he said.
Council members asked why public funding rather than membership dues funds the EDC; Tim and Kevin answered that the level of programming and staffing required to support both existing and recruiting activities makes a public‑private investment typical for communities of this size. The council approved the agreement and authorized the mayor to sign.
Separately, council authorized staff to sign a BUILD grant funding‑commitment letter for the 95th Street project once a formatting issue on the letterhead was corrected; staff said the city has budgeted $1,250,000 toward the project in the CIP to improve the competitiveness of the application.
Next steps: staff will execute the Chamber/EDC agreement and coordinate deliverables and reporting; EDC leaders will follow up on data sharing and marketing activities.
