Wichita review of 2024 community survey spotlights safety, economy and a new budget framework

City officials and outside consultants presented results of the 2024 Wichita Community Survey and a draft goal framework for the 2025–27 budget during a Jan. 28 workshop, highlighting public concern about safety and the economy and recommending a performance-management approach to align resources with community priorities.

Polco COO Sonia Wittingk said the city’s statistically sampled survey produced 461 completed responses (margin of error 4.6%) and that comparisons were made to national and custom benchmarks; she said the survey found safety and the economy as top priorities and showed improvement in many city service ratings compared with 2023. "461 completed surveys were received from these efforts, which is a great result," Wittingk said.

Council and staff said the survey will guide budget decisions. City Manager Layton framed the workshop as the start of a two-part budget review and said staff will use council feedback on the draft framework to prepare budget recommendations. "We are starting to work on the budget today, and we'll do it in two pieces," Layton said.

Why it matters: The survey and the proposed framework are meant to align the city's operating budgets with resident priorities and to create measurable goals and strategies for departments. Staff and consultants said the framework will be used to evaluate programs and guide resource allocation during the coming budget cycle.

Key findings and takeaways - Survey sample and methods: Polco said the survey used a U.S. Postal Service address-based sample and was available in English and Spanish; 461 randomly sampled responses yielded a 4.6% margin of error. An open, nonrandom online survey collected an additional 49 responses that are included in the report but were not the basis for the benchmarked results presented to council. - Major priorities: Residents rated safety and the economy as the most important areas for focus over the next two years. Polco noted positive ratings for utilities, education, arts and culture and parks; police and animal control ratings trailed national and custom benchmarks. - Areas for attention: Overall feeling of safety and some downtown vibrancy measures were below benchmarks. Crime-prevention service ratings declined by 6% compared with 2023, while fire services and many parks-related ratings improved. - Local detail and equity: Polco and staff noted demographic differences in responses (for example, perceptions of safety varied by district) and explained that data were weighted to reflect the city's adult population.

Proposed budget framework and next steps - Framework structure: Consultants from Porchlight Insights presented a multi-tier framework of pillars, pillar definitions, goals, strategies and measures. Staff said the framework is intended to make resident-survey measures and other performance data central to budget and strategic decisions. - Pillars and goals: Draft pillars presented included: a well-run city; keep Wichita safe; grow our economy; build and maintain dependable infrastructure; and provide conditions for living well. For each pillar, staff presented 3–5 draft goals (for example, under "keep Wichita safe," goals included addressing underlying causes of crime, empowering residents as partners in prevention, effective enforcement and timely emergency response). - Performance management: Porchlight and staff recommended aligning existing departmental performance measures with the draft goals and establishing a routine performance-monitoring process to inform budget choices.

Council feedback and discussion highlights - Shared services: Several council members raised the possibility of exploring shared services or other collaborations with county and regional partners; some members sought to limit language that could imply imminent consolidation. The city manager said staff could draft an additional goal to reflect exploration of shared services for council consideration. - Technology and partnerships: Members urged that technology investments be reflected across pillars (staff noted technology also appears in the well-run-city pillar) and recommended explicit language around partnerships with school districts, nonprofits and private-sector partners where appropriate. - Public engagement and follow-up research: Council members asked staff to use the Polco platform and other tools for follow-up polling or deeper, qualitative engagement on topics such as downtown vibrancy and street maintenance. Polco and Porchlight described how targeted follow-up (nonstatistical panels or community surveys) can provide depth even if not always statistically generalizable.

What happens next: Staff said they will refine pillar definitions and goals based on council feedback, align performance measures, and use the framework as guidance for preparing the 2025–27 budget recommendations. The quarterly financial report will be presented in February and the city intends to launch a public budget simulator in early May and visit neighborhood advisory boards in May to gather additional input.

Ending: Council members and staff agreed the survey offers a benchmarked, data-driven tool to guide budget priorities; staff will return with refined goals and measurement alignments as the formal budget process progresses.