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Lee's Summit city manager presents $380 million operating and capital budget; council advances budget bills
Summary
City Manager Mark Dunning presented the proposed FY2026 budget and corresponding capital plan. Staff recommended a conservative revenue forecast, strategic one-time investments, a 4% merit plus 2% range movement pay approach, and use of reserves for targeted initiatives; council advanced multiple budget-related ordinances to second reading.
City Manager Mark Dunning presented the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget and the capital plan to the Lee's Summit City Council, describing the budget as the city’s principal annual policy document and asking council to connect resources to council priorities.
Dunning said, “In my view, the budget is the biggest plan or policy that we put into place annually to forecast what do we hope to achieve in the next year and where are we heading.” He and budget staff described the overall picture: a total all-funds budget approaching $380,000,000, a general fund budget in the plan near $98,000,000 (the FY2025 amended general fund figure was higher because of adjustments made during the year), and a capital improvements plan approaching $792,000,000 over five years.
Budget managers recommended conservative revenue assumptions because of lingering uncertainties. Eric Stoyanov, budget manager, said, “For 2026, we're projecting a 3 and a half percent increase over the FY25 projection” for property tax, and staff projected a 2.5% increase in sales tax for FY2026. Stoyanov also flagged the senior property tax credit program administered by Jackson County as an outstanding uncertainty; county guidance was expected later in the year.
On spending and personnel, staff proposed a pay plan that combined a 4% merit pool and a 2% range movement. Rick Gentry, budget manager for expenditures, said personnel costs are the largest portion of the general fund — roughly 64% — and that citywide personnel and service lines drive the majority of the general fund spending. Dunning and staff highlighted strategic investments and one-time opportunities they recommend funding from FY2025 resource carryover. Those include completion and operation of Green Street and related operations, Workday implementation and related transitions, a pay-and-growth (ASR) effort including career ladders, a planned facilities maintenance worker for the civic campus, and a GIS strategy and communications strategy funded as 1-time initiatives.
Public safety and the public safety sales tax were a focal point. Staff presented public safety sales tax (PSST) projections and expenditures; PSST revenues were projected near $14,000,000 and the PSST-supported position count rose as the fund matured (staff noted growth from 34 positions at inception to 67 positions budgeted for FY2026). Police and fire chiefs outlined specific expansion requests (communications upgrades, Knox secure key storage, stair chairs and training staffing for fire; restructuring, veteran recruitment and virtual-reality training systems for police) and explained how some positions were planned within existing budgets with flexibility to fill vacancies rather than increasing the total appropriation.
Council held the statutorily required public hearing on the manager’s budget; no members of the public testified on the budget during the hearing. After presentation and questions, council advanced several budget-related ordinances to second reading. Council moved the following actions (motions/second recorded in council minutes): - Bill 25-089, Ordinance approving, adopting and appropriating the FY2026 city budget — moved by Councilmember Funk, seconded by Councilmember Carlisle (vote: unanimous). - Bill 25-090, Ordinance adopting the FY2026 budget for the Fire Department — moved by Councilmember Raeder, seconded by Councilmember Hodges (vote: 7–0 with 1 recusal). - Bill 25-091, Ordinance adopting the FY2026 municipal court budget — moved by Councilmember Pryor, seconded by Councilmember Hodges (vote: 7–0 with 1 recusal). - Bill 25-092, Ordinance establishing a pay classification plan for represented employees — moved by Councilmember Lovell, seconded by Councilmember Hodges (vote: 7–0 with 1 recusal). - Bill 25-093, Ordinance establishing a pay classification plan for non-represented employees — moved by Councilmember Carlisle, seconded by Councilmember Hodges (vote: unanimous).
Staff emphasized a conservative approach to revenue forecasting and said quarterly (and potentially monthly) monitoring would continue so the city can adjust through budget amendments if actual revenues differ from projections. Dunning thanked the finance and budget committee and staff for the time invested and noted that budget amendments remain the normal tool to respond to new information.
