Wichita City Council

Wichita-area voters elected a new representative to the City Council on Tuesday. Joseph Shepard defeated LaWanda DeShazer to win the District 1 seat on the Wichita City Council. Incumbents Maggie Ballard and Mike Hoheisel were reelected to second terms.

Three candidates say they will reissue their final campaign finance reports or send a refund to donors.

Incumbent Maggie Ballard and candidate Joseph Shepard each returned money to some donors after allegations that they accepted donations over Wichita's contribution cap.

Candidates for the District 6 seat on the Wichita City Council discussed key issues at a forum Wednesday at the Evergreen Library. The event was hosted by the Wichita Journalism Collaborative.

Wichita city leaders OK'd another five years of tax abatement for a major Spirit AeroSystems manufacturing plant, despite the company missing hiring benchmarks.

Wichita City Council member Mike Hoheisel told constituents he's still committed to long-term solutions to quality of life issues in South Wichita.

Two city leaders pushed for greater enforcement of Wichita's illegal camping ban, saying they've not seen a reduction of homeless encampments.

June 1 was the filing deadline for local elections. Candidates in some races will face off in a primary Aug. 5.

The city is facing an estimated several million dollar deficit in 2026, with the deficit growing in the following years.

The move is expected to save the city about $120,000 a year.