Lee’s Summit EDC board has endorsed the Missouri gas tax increase
The Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council Board of Directors has voted to endorse the Missouri gas tax increase issue coming up on November’s General Election ballot.
The measure, referred to as Proposition D, would raise the Missouri motor fuel tax by 2.5 cents a gallon each year for the next four years, increasing it from 17 cents to 27 cents by 2022. The tax would generate more than $411 million annually in new revenue, with the State Road Fund receiving $288 million for state law enforcement and the remaining $123 million going to cities and counties for road construction and maintenance.
The Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council President Rick McDowell says transportation infrastructure is important for growing local business.
“Missouri has one of the lowest fuel taxes in the nation, but the state also has one of the largest highway networks,” McDowell said.
The EDC believes Proposition D is closely alighted with their mission to attract and retain businesses in the area with safe and efficient roads and bridges.
The State of Missouri has not raised its gas tax for 22 years.
Upcycle Event
An electronics, furniture, paper and Christmas light upcycling and recycling event is set to help Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Southeast Enterprises and Lee’s Summit Social Services.
The a one-day-only event will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 6 at Bridge Space, 210 SW Market St. in downtown Lee’s Summit.
Those wishing to recycle electronics or bring in paper to shred are asked to bring Thanksgiving-themed canned goods (yams, pumpkin, stuffing, creamed soups, evaporated milk, pie filling, instant potatoes) that will go to benefit Lee’s Summit Social Services.
During a similar event held this spring, the response was overwhelming, with hundreds of drop-offs of furniture and other recyclable material. Junkluggers hauled off four truckloads of unwanted furniture to recycle and dispose and shredded and recycled an entire office-worth of paper.
Appointments are necessary for furniture recycling; no appointment is necessary for electronics and lights recycling. Junkluggers, Paula Voss & Co. Real Estate, Continental Title, PrimeLending and Bridge Space have all partnered to make this event happen.
Gigabit Lab Program
A partnership at the Missouri Innovation Campus is designed to give entrepreneurs and innovators the space to develop a next generation of products to take advantage of faster and more reliable networks.
The new educational program at the Missouri Innovation Campus will help create gigabit applications in education, cybersecurity, Internet of Things devices and the healthcare industry.
The University of Central Missouri is partnering with the Greater Kansas City MetroLab to create the project. UCM will focus on products and services to educators and students, such as Internet of Things Design Competition, so they can learn about the underlying technologies and applications and gain a critical understanding of this new technology.
Community of Character Kick Off
Two events helped kick off this Lee’s Summit CARES Community of Character effort this fall.
The Kick off To Character event started with a Sept. 14 breakfast featuring speaker Dan Meers, who serves as KC Wolf for the Kansas City Chiefs. During his presentation, Meers emphasized being grateful for every day, encouraging others and living a life of influence.
Meers told the crowd that each person is writing his or her own life story. The Chiefs mascot shared the story of his own wake up call. In 2013, Meers was critically injured at Arrowhead stadium while practicing a bungee cord entrance onto the field. He struck several seats in the upper decks and spent nine days in the hospital. The incident taught him to always live life to the fullest and focus on what is important.
“Do your best to live each day so the sentence ends with an exclamation point. Those choices you make determine your character and your destiny,” Meers said.
On Sept. 15, the Lee’s Summit CARES group also hosted a Neighborhood Picnic at Lea McKeighan Park with families participating in lunch, face painting and games. Geared toward the downtown Lee’s Summit area, the picnic was designed to help neighbors connect and become more engaged in their community. In addition to Lee’s Summit CARES, the picnic was sponsored by Lee’s Summit Social Services and United Way.