Town Topics

No, the City is not raising taxes to put an elevator in City Hall.  Your neighbor was probably talking about the space needs study that was presented to the City Council in August 2025. That study looked at all the city buildings and reviewed what types of renovations could be necessary in the future as the City continues to grow. Right now, City Hall can only be used on the first floor because there is no ADA accessibility to the second floor. To fully utilize this historic structure, an elevator would need to be added.  Currently, no funding has been allocated toward renovating the second floor or adding an elevator to City Hall.

The City of Edgerton and our economic development parter, ElevateEdgerton!, are actively recruiting new businesses to join our community. However, while local governments can create opportunities for development, we don’t have the ability to require a private company to build or open a specific type of store. Businesses make those decisions independently. Residents are encouraged to spread the word about the great community that we have here. 

No.  City Hall is not moving anywhere.  City Hall has been in the Grange Hall building since the 1960s. The City of Edgerton has never considered moving City Hall away from downtown Edgerton.

No. Edgerton is not turning away housing development. The City currently has a new housing development underway and it is one of the most (if not the most) affordable in Johnson County for new homes. A housing study done in 2021 by our partners ElevateEdgerton! and United Community Services found that Edgerton needs hundreds of new homes in the coming years to meet demand.

The City of Edgerton has already invested nearly $33 million in revenues from Logistics Park Kansas City (LPKC) in several projects bettering our community and significantly improving the quality of life for our citizens. Every other year, the City conducts a citizen survey that is sent to every household in Edgerton. That survey provides citizens the opportunity to rank their top priorities for investment by the City. Since 2013, those priorities have remained constant: investment in street infrastructure, existing parks and park equipment and new trails and sidewalks to increase connectivity in our community.

The City of Edgerton has been able to complete a myriad of projects to benefit the residential community that would have otherwise been impossible or would have taken years to complete.  Those projects include, but are not limited to:

• Big Bull Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (2013)
• Railroad Quiet Zones along Nelson and 207th Street (2014)
• Manor Park Renovation (2016)
• 3rd Street Infrastructure Upgrades (2017)
• Nelson Street Improvements-East 5th to East 6th (2017)
• 8th Street Sidewalk (2017)
• 4th and Nelson Intersection Improvements (2018)
• Martin Creek Trail and Pedestrian Crossing into Big Bull Creek Park (2019)
• Residential Street Reconstruction (2019)
• 1st and Meriwood Stormwater Improvements (2020)
• Stormwater Master Plan (2020)
• Wastewater Master Plan (2020)
• U.S. 56 Trail (2020)

Currently, construction is underway on a $15 million public safety infrastructure improvement project.  The 207th Street Grade Separation is fully funded by new revenue generated by LPKC and a $1 million CARS grant from Johnson County. This project would not be possible without funding available from the revenues from development of LPKC. Later this year, work will begin on another park renovation at Glendell Acres.  New landscaping, playground equipment and sidewalks are planned.  This project is also funded by LPKC.  Check out some of the pictures of the projects below.

No. When the City issues an industrial revenue bond with property tax abatement for a project, the developer must make annual payments-in-lieu-of-tax (PILOT). These PILOTs are distributed to all taxing jurisdictions in the same proportion as regular property taxes, including to the City of Edgerton. The City of Edgerton annual PILOT payment goes into the general fund just like regular property taxes for the Edgerton City Council to allocate during the annual budget process.

Since the opening of LPKC, these PILOT payments have been used to increase services to the residential community such as increasing the city’s street and park maintenance; adding new recreation programming (like princess tea party and art classes); and adding new community events like Summer Movie Nights and Summer Kickoff Block Party, which is happening in Downtown Edgerton this weekend.

We do allow electric bicycles and scooters on any street under 35mph, excluding truck routes.

No, Edgerton is not a billion dollars in debt.  That misleading rumor concerns Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs).

IRBs are an economic development tool to provide certain benefits to vertical construction on new development that can include property tax abatements. IRBs are NOT General Obligation Bonds (GO Bonds) and are NOT the responsibility of the City or its residents to pay back.  IRBs ARE NOT CITY DEBT.

The property owners that are issued IRBs are required to make their bond payments or they lose their tax abatements, so it is in the best interest of the property owner to make those payments on time. Every January, the City must certify to the County that the property owners are meeting their obligations in order to continue to receive the tax abatement. The City must also report the balances on its IRBs to the County every June.

The City of Edgerton adopted the 2018 suite of construction codes published by the International Code Council (ICC), the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions. This set of comprehensive codes and building standards includes the 2018 International Codes listed below. Most of Johnson County adopted the 2018 ICC suite in 2019.

2018 International Building Code

2018 International Residential Code

2018 International Fuel Gas Code

2018 International Plumbing Code

2018 International Mechanical Code

2018 International Existing Building Code

2018 International Fire Code

2018 International Energy Conservation Code

2017 National Electric Code

Population size does not determine building code and safety requirements in the state of Kansas.  Learn more about Edgerton’s codes here.