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Commission accepts Chamber/CVB year-end reports and authorizes 2026 agreements
Summary
The commission accepted the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 economic development report and the CVB’s 4th quarter report and authorized city administration to finalize 2026 contracts with the chamber; chamber leaders presented job and investment metrics.
Jason Smith of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce presented the chamber’s 2025 highlights, reporting three attraction projects (PTMW, Amazon and Torgersen) that together represent 421 announced jobs and $34 million in private investment. Smith told commissioners that most projects announced this year did not receive local incentives and estimated immediate new property tax revenue at roughly $600,000 annually from current construction activity.
"PTMW was a direct result of the spec building program approved in 2021," Smith said, and he noted the chamber’s ROI model projects combined annual property tax returns and employee-driven revenue that could exceed $2,000,000 annually once abatements end. The presentation included tourism metrics from Visit Manhattan showing steady transient guest tax receipts and an average daily room rate of approximately $124.
Following presentations from chamber partners Innovate 24 and Black Entrepreneurs of the Flint Hills, the commission moved to accept the chamber’s end-of-year economic development report and the CVB 4th quarter report and authorized city administration to finalize 2026 agreements with the chamber. The motion passed on a 4–0 roll call vote.
