The city of Wichita unveiled its proposed budget for 2025-26 at the City Council meeting Tuesday.
The $763 million budget is about $40 million more than last year's. In a letter, the city manager said the increase was due to increased wages and benefits for city employees to keep up with inflation.
In the proposed budget, the city’s mill levy will stay the same. However, it will exceed the revenue neutral rate, meaning residents aren’t likely to see any relief from the city on their property taxes this year. Sedgwick County proposed lowering its mill levy last week, which can likely provide some relief for taxpayers.
This year’s budget comes as Wichita prepares to face a deficit, currently estimated to be several million dollars. The city cited lower interest earnings as one of the main reasons for the deficit.
The city said it will centralize its financial services, convert to paperless timekeeping, and reduce its vehicle fleet size to avoid a larger deficit in the coming years.
Bigger cuts to the city’s budget are likely to come next year, including limiting pay increases for city workers. City leaders also plan to reevaluate health insurance options for city workers. A majority of the city’s budget goes toward employee wages and benefits.
In an earlier budget workshop presentation, council members cautioned against making too many cuts to employee benefits, saying they’re key to attracting and retaining employees.
Other cost-cutting options include eliminating positions that have remained vacant, and limiting police hires to only fill positions of people who have left or retired. An earlier budget document said vacancies in the police department cost the city around $3 million.
Some council members suggested speeding up cost-saving initiatives highlighted by the city manager’s office to save even more money and avoid a larger deficit next year.
City council members directed staff to create a budget plan that would increase the mill levy, and one that would reduce it. The city hasn’t increased its mill rate in 30 years.
“Yes, it would be an increase, and yes, that would be 32 years later that we finally did it,” said council member Brandon Johnson “But at some point, we’re going to have a government that only does core services and gives you barely anything.”
Council members also floated an additional sales tax, which voters would have to approve, to bolster the police and fire departments.
Crime prevention
According to City Manager Robert Layton, crime prevention played a large part in developing this year’s budget.
At the city’s budget presentation Tuesday, officials unveiled a $45 million investment in crime prevention strategies, with most of the funding for those programs coming from grants. Those strategies include bringing in Wichita Public Libraries, Park and Recreation, and the housing department to help prevent crime.
“The Brennan Center for Justice specifically states, one of the best ways to prevent crime is to provide more resources and support to low income communities,” Housing Director Sally Stang said.
The police department has also been focusing on creating a real-time crime information center, increasing surveillance across the city, and adding crime analyst positions.
The department is also planning to engage with the community more, mainly through homeowner and neighborhood associations.
The city’s municipal courts will focus more on utilizing its drug and mental health courts to get help for people in the municipal court system. The council also earlier approved a program to get at least 20 people substance use treatment services and housing using liquor tax funds.
“I am so pleased that we are not simply using the hammer of fees, fines, costs in jail, but we are looking at people as individuals to help reduce crime in our community and rehabilitate the people coming through our court,” Nathan Emmorey, municipal court administrator, said.
Capital Improvement Program
The city’s 10-year Capital Improvement Program, which guides spending for construction and maintenance programs, includes setting aside $400 million for a new convention center. But city officials don’t know where that money would come from, calling for an “extensive” community engagement project to help decide.
According to city documents, the new center will complement the continued use of Century II.
Most of the city’s capital improvement plan will go toward maintaining existing infrastructure and other city assets.
Paving dirt roads will also continue to be funded in the proposed CIP.
The city will have its next public hearing on the proposed budget at an evening meeting on Aug. 8. Final approval of the budget is scheduled for the council’s Aug. 20 meeting.
