Pittsburg commission approves 2026 budget, votes to exceed Kansas revenue-neutral rate

The Pittsburg City Commission voted Sept. 9 to exceed the Kansas statutory “revenue neutral” rate and adopted the city’s 2026 budget after a public hearing that drew numerous residents who opposed higher taxes.

City staff and commissioners said the adopted budget reflects rising costs for services, ongoing utility projects and employee compensation; opponents urged the commission to hold the line on taxes and use existing reserves instead.

City staff explained the technical reason for the difference between the county-provided revenue-neutral calculation and the figure the city used in its planning. Jay (city staff) said the county’s June valuation included property listed as taxable while a hospital ownership change and other “changes of use” filings would remove roughly $15.26 million from the tax rolls before Jan. 1, 2026. Because the county’s published worksheet came with that valuation at the time the city prepared its budget, staff recalculated what they called a more realistic revenue-neutral rate and presented a higher number — 47.475 mills — for use in the city’s budget planning. Jay said, “we’re not raising the mill rates at all. We’re proposing no mill rate increase whatsoever,” and described the change as a correction for the hospital and some other properties that will likely be tax-exempt by the start of the year.

The meeting included an extended public comment period focused on taxes. Speakers urged different approaches: some residents urged rejecting any action that would increase taxes paid by property owners and renters, citing fixed incomes and rising costs; others stressed the city’s obligations to maintain services and pay employees competitive wages to retain police, fire and utility staff.

Multiple residents and civic observers pressed city staff for clarity about the published budget book. Resident Christie Bittner told the commission she found numerous mismatches and spreadsheet errors between the printed narrative book and the formal, state-required budget forms. Margie (city staff) acknowledged the book contained spreadsheet-linking errors in some summary pages and said staff had corrected the underlying detailed forms; she and Jay said the state certification forms that commissioners adopt are the official budget documents and that the narrative book would be republished after policy decisions were finalized.

On the motions: commissioners first voted to exceed the revenue-neutral rate; the motion passed (outcome approved; vote record not fully specified in the meeting transcript). Later, the commission voted on the full 2026 budget (the state budget certificate and the detailed forms) and approved it by roll call. The recorded roll call on the budget showed Brooks: No; Hecht: Yes; McNay: Yes; Mensah: No; Siegried: Yes; the motion carried. City staff said the total expenditures on the state certificate equal $72,000,006.35; staff told the commission and the public that corrected summary pages reconcile to that official total.

City leaders emphasized that the adopted budget maintains existing service levels, funds commitments for a new wastewater treatment plant and funds modest employee increases in a tight market for municipal workers. Several commissioners said they weighed the fiscal impact on residents against the risk of eroding the city’s core revenue base if the city declined to capture assessed valuation growth now and later found itself unable to raise revenue when needed.

Commissioners asked staff to publish corrected budget pages and to continue explaining long-term financial plans and reserve targets. At the end of the meeting, staff said they would issue an updated budget book that ties every summary page to the officially adopted state forms.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to exceed Kansas revenue-neutral rate (revenue-neutral calculation adjusted by staff to reflect likely hospital nonprofit status): outcome — approved (motion carried; detailed roll call not fully recorded in transcript).

- Adoption of the 2026 budget (state budget certificate and detailed forms): outcome — approved (rolled call: Brooks — No; Hecht — Yes; McNay — Yes; Mensah — No; Siegried — Yes). Total expenditures on the state certificate: $72,000,006.35.

What it means

City staff said the budget captures valuation growth tied to new property and increased assessed values for existing properties so the city can cover recurring cost increases and new service obligations. Residents opposed to exceeding the revenue-neutral rate argued that many households and renters are cost-burdened and that the city should draw on reserves or cut discretionary spending rather than increasing tax receipts. Staff and commissioners said a repeated inability to capture growth when available could force service cuts later and make it harder to recruit and retain employees.

Looking ahead

Staff committed to republishing the narrative budget book to match the certified forms and to continuing the commission’s multi-year financial planning briefings. Commissioners asked staff to provide updated, easily accessible materials for public review before future hearings.