Wichita City Manager Robert Layton has presented a budget of almost $763 million to the City Council, saying it is a balanced budget that is in line with community priorities and the vision and mission of the city.

Layton said the budget’s main priorities will be crime prevention, increasing spending for maintenance programs, economic development, and addressing housing insecurity.  He said the priorities identified in a community survey will deal with crime prevention strategies, police services, street maintenance, water and sewer services and economic development.   The budget also includes funding for operation of the planned Multi-Agency Center to provide temporary shelter and access to services for the homeless.

Layton said the mill levy remains stable in the 2025 budget, but that will still put the city budget over the Revenue Neutral Rate, and under state law notification will have to be provided to the County Clerk and the state if the city is going to exceed that rate.   He said a decision not to exceed the rate will mean a budget reduction of about $12 million.

Layton said the city is looking at budget deficits in 2026 and 2027, because spending will outpace revenue growth, but a lot of work has already been done with budget adjustments to reduce those deficits.

Council member Brandon Johnson is asking for information on the financial impact from increasing the mill levy by one or two mills.  He said as the levy remains the same, police and fire budgets are going up as the city tries to be competitive with salaries.    Vice-Mayor Maggie Ballard asked for information on a possible sales tax.   Layton said Sedgwick County has been looking at that issue and he has concerns about using sales tax revenue for ongoing expenses.  If a sales tax is used for salaries, Layton said the city could be put in a difficult position if there is a recession or a downturn in the economy.

Mayor Lily Wu asked staff to provide information on the impact of all options, a reduction in the mill levy, a flat mill levy and an increase in the mill levy, as well as information on a possible sales tax.

The City Council will have an evening budget hearing on August 8th, with hearings during the regular Council meetings on August 13th and August 20th.   A final budget will be adopted at the August 20th meeting.