The City of Wichita has opened an online budget simulator tool to help in collecting public input on the 2026-2027 budget year.
The city will use the simulator as a way to get resident feedback on city budget priorities and to show some of the tough choices that will be made in the next budget cycle. The city is anticipating a balanced budget for 2025-26, but a $13 million shortfall is projected for the 2026 budget. This is due to a decrease in interest earnings along with expenditures growing faster than revenues.
The simulator will allow residents to increase or decrease costs for budget areas. It does not have every department or budget line-item, and it’s a sample of the budget proposals that are expected to go to the City Council for consideration. They are organized by areas that residents have listed as highest and lowest priorities for the city in recent years.
The City Council is working on the 2025-26 budget cycle with a recommended budget presented in July and adoption in August.
The budget simulator tool is available at https://wichita.budgetsimulator.com
