Business View Civil & Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 8

21 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 8 KANSAS C I TY , KANSAS down the last five years to try and look at how we connect our residents to the jobs that we’re creating. We are among the highest wages paid in the state of Kansas, but we’re in the bottom quartile of median household income. So until we get the imbalance put into place, we’re going to continue to see this generational poverty occur.” To combat that imbalance, Kansas City staff have put a major focus on what they call “workforce solutions” to help residents take advantage of the jobs and benefits being introduced to the city. “It’s really five key areas that include post- secondary education certifications, childcare, transit, language, and criminal history,” says Kindle. “We think those are core to raising our median household income and moving the dial on more holistic economic development.” The Wyandotte Economic Development Council has tailored its focus onto census districts that have higher concentrations of poverty to find ways to help move that median household income up a notch. “That’s part of the effort we’re putting in – with education and transportation and new housing – to bring in jobs to build sustainable neighbourhoods,” says Kansas City Mayor David Alvey. “That is going to sustain us financially as a city and also grow the wealth of our families. All these things working together ultimately builds a city made up of prosperous families.” Located at the border of Kansas City, Missouri, at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers, the city is ideally located to support a variety of industries. It is part of the larger regional Kansas City metropolitan community that has a population of more than two million, and offering a diveryarsity of economy. Kansas City, Kansas is home to a General Motors plant that manufactures the Malibu and Cadillac XT4, a Kellogg’s food manufacturing facility, a Pentair factory that manufactures pumps, as well as Greg Kindle, President of the Wyandotte County Economic Development Council David Alvey, Kansas City Mayor