The City Council approved a 2011 budget of $218.2 million, 7.4 percent less than the 2010 budget.

“The most important issue is maintaining current service levels to all of our citizens,” Mayor Carl Gerlach said.

The city’s operating budget is $101.5 million, 3.6 percent less than last year. The segment hit hardest in the budget was community development, including planning, parks and recreational services.

The planning department was reduced $1.4 million, which included eliminating 16 of the 57 positions.

The parks and recreation services cut $450,000, including the reduction of 11 positions. Jobs lost included a parks maintenance supervisor, a park attendant, a recreation supervisor, a customer service representative and a fitness supervisor.

Seven positions were eliminated in the police and fire departments, including five cops, a latent finger print examiner, a crime analyst, a fire battalion chief and a public education specialist.

Overall, the city’s work force will be reduced to 844 in 2011 from 901 in the current budget.

It is harsh but at least the did did not have to raise taxes. Keep your eye on the school board. They will likely raise your property taxes.

OP has delayed road projects and spent less on street maintenance as it weathers the dim economic forecast.

The city also has eliminated funding for public art and has delayed new projects at its arboretum because of a lack of sufficient private support.

The city has already made many of the cuts reflected in the proposed 2011 budget, including jobs eliminated in January when 42 employees were let go.

The current city budget didn’t provide for a pay raise this year. And while a pay raise wasn’t built into the 2011 budget, the city is holding out the possibility of using money from its contingency fund for raises later this year depending on the city’s financial outlook.

A decision on pay raises isn’t expected to be made until later this year as the city develops a new five-year financial plan.

Thanks Overland Park, the City Council, and the employees, most of the citizens of OP are not getting raises either. We are working harder, living more stressful lives and making less. But with all of us pulling together we will easily navigate the turbulent economic times and emerge as a strong and successful community.

We have one of the best cities in the country, a good economy, great services for our residents, great schools, we will thrive!

Excerpts taken from

Kansas has been ranked No. 3 in Southern Business & Development magazine’s annual “Top Deals and Hot Markets” report, the state’s highest-ever finish in the survey, officials announced this week.

The annual ranking examines 17 Southern states on their business recruitment and retention projects that create and/or retain jobs and capital investment and then ranks them by points per million residents. Kansas finished third overall, behind co-top-finishers Louisiana and Tennessee.

The report says the following about Kansas: “Some years, Kansas finds it difficult to compete with Southern economic development superstars in the South, but not this year. Kansas ended up with the third-best point total per capita of any Southern state in the 2010 SB&D 100. Kansas City, Kan. had a remarkable year with several huge deals that lifted Kansas up to its best SB&D 100 year yet. In fact, no edge/suburban market in the entire South had a better year in 2009 than the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kan.”

For the full report, visit: http://www.sb-d.com/Features/2010SBD100/2010TopDealsandHotMarkets/tabid/354/Default.aspx

Today’s announcement marks the fifth time since May a major media outlet or survey has recognized Kansas for business excellence.

· On Aug. 4, Kansas was ranked the nation’s No. 7 most business-friendly state in the Pollina Corporate “Top 10 Pro-Business States” report.

· On June 15, Kansas was ranked No. 11 in CNBC’s annual “America’s Top States for Business” report.

· In June, Area Development magazine named Kansas the winner of the Silver Shovel Award for excellence in job creation and capital investment.

· In May, Kansas was named one of the nation’s 10 most competitive states for capital investment and facility development by Site Selection magazine, a leading publication for site consultants.

In Fiscal Year 2010, the Kansas Department of Commerce facilitated 68 successful site location projects in which Kansas was competing with at least one other state. Those projects produced 13,900 jobs at an average wage of $25 per hour and 838 million in capital investment.

Another perk of this city is the low unemployment rate of 5.3 percent – among the lowest in the country. This rate may be attributed to the area’s largest employer, Sprint, for its 2007-2009 cutbacks. However, this should be partially offset in early 2011 with J.P Morgan planning to bring in 800 jobs.

This suburb of Kansas City has consistently ranked high in such lists, and there is no question as to why that is with all this city has to offer. Here are the Overland Park Real Estate Market Stats

Source – http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/snapshots/PL2053775.html