Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary David Kerr today presented the Unified Government of Wyandotte County with a proposal that could bring a new Cerner office complex and a Kansas City Wizards soccer stadium to the Village West District.

The proposal offers Cerner nearly $85 million in state tax credits and cash incentives for the company’s proposed office complex and authorizes the Unified Government to use up to $144.5 million from state sales tax revenue to pay for the bonds used to build a soccer stadium. The authorization also requires the Unified Government to use existing and future local sales tax revenue for the stadium. If the proposal is accepted, Cerner would commit to creating 4,500 new jobs in Kansas at an average salary of $65,000.

The proposed project also includes a hotel and youth soccer field complex, neither of which were offered state or local incentives. The total value of the project is $414 million.

“Like many Kansans, I’m excited by the economic potential of Cerner’s proposed office complex and the related proposal for a new soccer stadium in the Village West District,” Secretary Kerr said. “Of course, I am also obligated to be a responsible steward of tax dollars, especially in these challenging economic times. The financial proposal we’re presenting is aggressive, yet responsible.”

The Secretary’s offer comes after extensive negotiations between the Department of Commerce, the Unified Government, Cerner and various state officials.

“In this time of economic recession, we need to take advantage of every opportunity to bring jobs and revenue to Kansas,” Governor Mark Parkinson said. “I appreciate Secretary Kerr’s work in negotiating this opportunity and ensuring that if we are successful, we stand to make a return on our investment to the benefit of Kansas taxpayers across the state.”

The $85 million in financial incentives for the office complex includes cash incentives, job and capital investment tax credits, training funds and sales tax exemptions, all of which are common in typical Commerce incentive proposals. STAR Bonds allow Kansas municipalities to issue bonds to finance major projects and use the sales tax revenue generated by the development to pay off the bonds.

For more information, contact Joe Monaco, Public Information Officer with the Kansas Department of Commerce, at (785) 296-3760 or jmonaco@kansascommerce.com.

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