Hutchinson council approves 2026 budget, votes to exceed revenue-neutral mill levy
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Summary
After public hearings and months of study sessions, the Hutchinson City Council approved a 2026 budget and a resolution authorizing a property tax rate that exceeds the revenue-neutral rate, while emphasizing the strain on residents with fixed incomes and the tradeoffs in staffing and infrastructure spending.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council voted Sept. 2 to adopt the city’s 2026 budget and approved a resolution to levy a property tax rate that exceeds the revenue-neutral rate published for the budget process.
The action follows public hearings and extended discussion of city services, inflation-driven cost increases and staffing shortages. Angela Richard, the city’s director of finance, told the council the city had published a proposal to levy “42.395” mills and noted the city’s revenue-neutral computation: “Our revenue neutral rate… that rate is 38.612. Our 2025 budget mill levy was 30.395.”
Why it matters: Raising the mill levy will increase the city’s property tax revenue ceiling and allow spending on infrastructure and staffing the council said is required to maintain services. Opponents in public comment warned the move could push fixed-income homeowners into hardship; supporters said the city faces rising costs for roads, utilities and public safety and needs stable funding to retain employees.
Council members framed the decision as a difficult balance. Councilor Scott Richardson pointed to recent years of restraint: “We went two years in a row revenue neutral when inflation is above 9% each year. That lowered our mill levy… At one point our mill levy, I think, five, six years ago was at 44 mills.” Mayor Stacy Goss and other council members described intensive budget cuts and a desire to protect core services, including police, fire and utility maintenance.
Public comment was strongly focused on residents living on fixed incomes. Jonas Sowder of 119 Superior said raising taxes would “put people that worked their whole life out of their home,” and William Colvin, who said his property valuation had risen substantially since 2021, described paying “one full month of our Social Security benefits to pay for our property taxes.”
Council action and next steps: Council voted on two separate but related items required by statute — a resolution to levy a property tax rate exceeding the published revenue-neutral rate, and the adoption of the 2026 budget setting the city’s maximum spending authority. The resolution and the budget passed in roll-call votes with Mayor Stacy Goss and all four councilors voting yes. The council and staff said the adopted spending plan still allows adjustments; Richard noted the published mill levy amount is a maximum and that spending can be reduced under the adopted authority.
Context: City staff and councilors cited competition for employees with neighboring jurisdictions and private employers, rising construction and repair costs for streets and utilities, and a backlog of infrastructure needs. Councilors said study sessions and director-level reviews trimmed requests across departments before the budget was finalized.
The council set no new immediate tax relief measures. Several councilors urged staff and the public to continue looking for savings and to scrutinize large projects in coming months.
—Reported from the Hutchinson City Council meeting. Ending: The council completed the required public hearings and adopted the budget; staff said they will publish the adopted budget documents and continue outreach about the implications for taxpayers.
