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Joint meeting showcases ‘crunch time’ at IRS Service Center

By Alison Kohler

Six people pose for a photo in a conference room
Congressional staff attending a joint meeting with GSA Heartland Regional Administrator Michael Copeland (third from left), pose for a photo at the Kansas City IRS Service Center Mar. 29. Also pictured are: Adam Timmerman, Office of U.S. Representative for the 4th District of Missouri Vicky Hartzler, Paula Cutter-Mark, Office of U.S. Representative for the 3rd District of Kansas Sharice Davids, Chad Tenpenny, Office of U.S. Senator for Kansas Pat Roberts, Alex Richard, Office of U.S. Senator for Kansas Jerry Moran, and Judy Dungan, senior advisor, GSA Office of the Regional Administrator. Photograph by Gretchen Jabben

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While American taxpayers are preparing their 2018 tax returns, GSA’s Heartland Region is preparing its negotiation of a 20-year succeeding lease for the Kansas City IRS Service Center, which employs upwards of 4,500 workers at a 1.14 million square foot campus capable of processing 18 million tax returns.

GSA and IRS leaders took a brief break March 29 to host congressional staffers at a joint meeting on site. The current location sits on 27.6 acres downtown on Pershing Road and opened in 2006 reusing Kansas City’s historic main Post Office, which was decommissioned in 1983.

Dori Swartz, territory manager, Facilities Management and Security Services, IRS Kansas City and other leaders shared an overview of the IRS mission and future plans for the Kansas City IRS Service Center.

“Our end state by 2025 is that this IRS (post of duty), in addition to a campus in Ogden (Utah), will process 15 percent of business returns in addition to the paper individual returns processed here. By then, we expect to have another 2,500 employees, in addition to 4,500 peak employees, working multiple shifts, day and evening, to process business and individual returns,” Swartz said.

GSA’s Heartland Region is working on behalf of the IRS to secure a new lease to replace the existing one that expires in November 2021.

"GSA is considering a succeeding lease, because IRS’s future plans represent a long-term need, and relocation would be costly,” said Regional Commissioner Kevin Rothmier, GSA Heartland Public Buildings Service. “From a taxpayer standpoint, this could be more advantageous to our taxpayers,” he said.

Congressional staffer Chad Tenpenny looks over the submission center where millions of paper tax returns received by mail are op
Congressional staffer Chad Tenpenny looks over the submission center where millions of paper tax returns received in the mail are opened and processing begins. Photograph by Gretchen Jabben

In addition to the meeting, the attendees toured the submission and processing areas where employees on multiple shifts process millions of paper tax returns. “It all starts with getting the mail open. We like to say the ‘buck starts here,’” said Donna Vermillion, operations manager, IRS Kansas City.

Congressional staffers in attendance at the joint meeting included:

  • Chad Tenpenny, Office of U.S. Senator for Kansas Pat Roberts
  • Alex Richard, Office of U.S. Senator for Kansas Jerry Moran
  • Paula Cutter-Mark, Office of U.S. Representative for the 3rd District of Kansas Sharice Davids
  • Adam Timmerman, Office of U.S. Representative for the 4th District of Missouri Vicky Hartzler

The 90-minute visit concluded with plans to host GSA Heartland Region’s congressional delegation staffers on a recurring basis at other sites GSA manages for federal agency customers.

“We’d like to continue to be as helpful to you as we can,” Heartland Regional Administrator Michael Copeland told the staffers.

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Last updated: Jan 30, 2024
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