Politics & Government Wichita City Council passes $800M budget with some cuts. Here’s what’s in it By Chance Swaim Updated August 26, 2026 11:39 AM The Wichita City Council voted 6-1 to increase the city’s budget by more than $39 million next year — an increase driven largely by rising public safety personnel costs, escalating operating costs at new water and sewer treatment facilities, and growing city debt payments. Mayor Lily Wu was the lone vote against the budget, for the third year in a row, because she said it continues to grow government at an unsustainable rate. She had previously said she would move to put more than $1 million in cuts to a council vote, but the council approved the manager’s budget, with minor adjustments, before Wu could introduce her proposal. “Tuesday night, I came prepared to offer several publicly announced amendments to reduce spending and stand up for Wichita taxpayers,” Wu said in a statement Wednesday morning. “The rest of the Council ended debate before I was allowed to present even one.” The city’s property tax rate will remain flat, at around 32.340 mills. The city council previously approved large increases to water and sewer rates through 2028 to cover the added expenses in that fund. The $800 million budget includes $5.6 million in new spending for the Wichita Police Department, $5.2 million in additional spending on parks and recreation, a $4.8 million increase for the Wichita Fire Department, a $1.9 million increase for libraries, an extra $1.4 million for municipal court and more than $650,000 in new spending for housing and community services. It also pulls millions out of the city’s reserve funds to balance the budget while keeping the property tax rate flat. “Not in good faith can we continue sustaining this type of budget where we are outgrowing inflation, and we are outgrowing to the point where we don’t have a balanced budget,” Wu said. “We’re only balanced because we get, again, $3 million from the savings account. That is not a balanced budget.” The “savings account” referenced by Wu is the city’s nearly $45 million stabilization reserve fund — previous savings the council has set aside over the years to offset anticipated budget shortfalls. The budget that passed Tuesday night also includes a transfer of $4 million from the stabilization reserve to Second Light, a nonprofit operator of the city’s homeless shelter. The budget calls for levying property taxes of almost $189 million in 2027, a $13.1 million increase over the previous year. That’s about a $4 million higher than Wu said she was comfortable voting for. She said she would favor raising property taxes to account for inflation and property value growth from new construction, which would have been an increase of $9 million. Wichita’s mill levy rate has hovered around 31 to 32.8 mills since the early 1990s, with last year’s mill levy rate set at an estimated 32.316 from 32.816 the year before — the first cut in 30 years. The city later raised the mill levy to 32.340 to account for changes to the city’s final property valuation for the year. That rate will remain in place next year, costing the owner of a $200,000 home $743.82 and the owner of a $200,000 commercial building $1,617. While the city has kept its mill levy flat, many residents’ property tax bills have continued to soar in recent years as property valuations increase. Wichita’s property tax collections have increased by about $64 million — or 51% — since the state Legislature passed the Revenue Neutral Rate Act of 2021. The city’s revenue neutral rate — the tax rate that would generate the same amount of property tax revenue year over year based on the current year’s assessed property valuations — is 30.086 mills. That rate would result in $51.84 in savings for the owner of a $200,000 house and $112.70 in savings for the owner of a $200,000 commercial property compared with this year’s tax bill. The council voted to exceed that revenue rate as it has every year since the law passed to make such a vote mandatory. The council also passed a slate of proposed budget adjustments put forth by Vice Mayor Dalton Glasscock and one offered by council member Mike Hoheisel. Glasscock proposed the following, which were all approved with one alteration: Cut the tuition reimbursement program for city employees from $300,000 to $50,000 Cut $500,000 in unallocated administrative costs Set a $400,000 “efficiency savings target” for city staff to find throughout the year in the general fund Shift $15,000 from the city council’s $65,000 annual travel fund to support the Mayor’s Youth Council Add $100,000 for a property tax relief program for homeowners who qualify under the state’s homestead property tax exemption program for low-income homeowners Shift $50,000 from the city manager’s contingency fund “to develop and implement a community-based violence prevention strategy” Transfer $400,000 from a Pawnee Prairie Park project to the city’s urban forestry division Shift $325,000, which the city had previously planned to spend on a second robotic dog for the police department, to pay for pedestrian safety improvements such as bollards Shift $150,000 the city planned to spend on Wichita Police Department dash cameras to the city’s libraries Hoheisel amended Glasscock’s list to increase funding for a community-based violence prevention strategy from $50,000 to $200,000. Any savings — between $650,000 and $1.05 million — would be used to reduce the amount of money being transferred out of the stabilization reserve, meaning it won’t reduce property taxes or the city’s other revenue sources. Both motions passed 6-1, with Wu voting no. “We’re called to lead, and we have a duty to govern,” Glasscock said. “And that’s why we are elected. And so I’m thankful that we’ve stepped up to be able to offer solutions.” Council member Joseph Shepard said the budget was a collaborative effort. “I think that we were able to come to a healthy decision tonight on what does it mean to invest in a Wichita, not just for today, but a Wichita for tomorrow and for years down the road,” Shepard said. “Yes, the budget is increasing, but our needs are evolving, just as our families are evolving.” Council member J.V. Johnston said the council will need to make budget adjustments in the future, as police and fire costs continue climbing. “One thing we need to address is the elephant in the room: It’s public safety,” Johnston said. “Public safety is very important. There’s no doubt. Everybody tells us that we need to fund public safety. I think the question is how much.” The budget approved Tuesday gives 67% of the general fund to police and fire departments, an increase from 64% this year. “What I hear from my district is they want to see more police officers in the district on the street, and maybe not so many softwares and programs and things,” Johnston said. “So that’s what I hear from my district. It may be different tomorrow when I wake up and see emails. Who knows? But I’m just glad we did get a budget approved.” Council member Becky Tuttle said the cost of doing business has increased substantially since her first term in office and even though the budget increased, many departments won’t receive all the money they wanted. “This is the eighth budget that I’ve worked on since I’ve been on City Council, and I’ve been impressed with how this — the majority of this team — has worked together,” Tuttle said. “Leadership is about choices, and there are hard choices to be made. We all wish there was money to fund everything.” This story was originally published August 26, 2026 at 3:33 AM . CS Chance Swaim The Wichita Eagle Email this person 316-269-6752 Chance Swaim covers investigations for The Wichita Eagle. His work has been recognized with national and local awards, including a George Polk Award for political reporting, a Betty Gage Holland Award for investigative reporting, two Victor Murdock Awards for journalistic excellence and a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. You may contact him at cswaim@wichitaeagle.com or follow him on X @byChanceSwaim.
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