Leawood, KS02/02/2017 02:00 PM
Tuesday, January 31, 2017 Mayor Dunn gave her annual State of the City address at The Lodge at Ironwoods Park. Here are some of the highlights. To read Mayor Dunn’s full address, click here.
Leawood is the number one “safest City” in the State of Kansas, according to BackgroundChecks.org.
WalletHub analyzed almost 1,300 U.S. cities with a population between 25,000 and 100,000 and rated them on 30 livability factors which included economic health, quality of life, education, health and safety. Leawood came in third in the Country.
Leawood ranked best City in the State of Kansas to retire due to tax friendliness, availability of medical care, recreational and social opportunities for seniors. This study was done by SmartAsset, a New York financial technology company.
According to Zippia, a website focused on career and places to work, Leawood is the second happiest City in Kansas. This study is based on Leawood’s low unemployment, short work commute, low cost of living, being family oriented, home ownership, very low poverty rate, and extremely well-educated citizenry.
FindTheHome ranked Leawood eighth in the country among cities with a population over 25,000 for having the highest percentage of people holding a bachelor’s degree or post-graduate degree.
WalletHub rated the Leawood population as #22 in the country with fiscal management.
The Business Journal reported that Leawood has the second, third, fourth, and seventh wealthiest zip codes in the metropolitan area.
Fire Chief Dave Williams and his staff received the “Heartsafe Community Designation” in 2016.
Leawood received the highest Insurance Services Organization (ISO) rating a city can achieve by advancing from a rating of 3 to a rating of 1. The Fire Department also maintained its International Accreditation making Leawood one of the few cities in the Nation that are both accredited and possessing an ISO 1 rating.
The City’s Police Department, led by Chief Troy Rettig, also had a successful year in keeping our citizens safe. As you may know, public safety is the number one priority of our residents. I’m pleased to report that in 2016, there were significant reductions in thefts from motor vehicles, driving under the influence and fraud related offenses.
Leawood’s Public Works Director Joe Johnson and his department came in one time and $50,000 under budget on the project that expanded 143rd Street from Windsor to Nall Avenue.
Director of Community Development Richard Coleman and his officials issued 126 commercial building permits with a construction valuation of $38.1M. The total construction value for 2016 was $93M.
The residential construction value for 2016 totaled $54.8M.
Mayor Peggy Dunn. Mayor’s State of the City Address 2017. Leawood, Kansas. 2017.
Click the link below to read Mayor Dunn’s full address.