This is a call for action to all residents who frequent the Prairie Village Shops and/or Corinth Square, along with any individual who cares about preserving local businesses. Please take note and demand change.

Today, I learned that the CID tax that each and every consumer pays when shopping in these centers do not go towards funding any repairs or maintenance to these properties. Instead, this tax revenue goes to fund the highly questionable "upgrades" to these centers. 

All the while the rent for our beloved longstanding mom and pop shops such as Spanglers, Bruce Smith Drugs, Tiffany Town, and the Mission Antique Mall has gone up exponentially, thus giving them no choice but to close down.

To make matters worse, all tenants of these properties are forced to pay a Community Area Maintenance (CAM) fee. It's one thing to use the CAM funds to keep up with cleaning and maintaining the landscaping on the property, but it is totally inappropriate for these fees to go towards infrastructure repairs. With the CID in place, this fee is unacceptable.

First off, First Washington is failing to keep up with the most basic of repairs. The sidewalks have been literally crumbling for years now. They are doing nothing to keep up with maintaining their properties. The PV Shops are becoming blighted, which is the number one reason a developer asks for CID funding in the first place.

Though we may be stuck paying this tax for the next 14 years, our City Council and First Washington can still amend the CID to include tax dollars going towards repairs and maintenance of these properties. The tenants in these shops are currently bearing the brunt of this financial burden, while First Washinton is reaping massive profits. 

It is time that we demand the Prairie Villiage City Council and First Washington amend the CID agreement to include general maintenance and repair. We must stand up for our local mom and pop shops, for they make up the very fabric of our community. Please, add your name in support and solidarity. We can be the voice of change. Thank you!