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Sedgwick County reports $166M general-fund balance, forecasts small operating deficit amid one-time expenses
Summary
Budget staff told commissioners the county's general-fund balance was $166 million at the end of third quarter and the county expects an operating deficit of about $1.5 million for 2025, driven largely by one-time contractual payments and ARPA-funded items; commissioners asked for more detail on unrestricted balances and cash flow timing.
Sedgwick County budget staff presented the county's unaudited third-quarter financial report on Nov. 5 and told commissioners the county remains fiscally secure but faces pressures tied to one-time payments and rising personnel costs.
"This information is based on unaudited financial data and subject to minor adjustments when the annual audit is performed," Area Budget Director Lorraine Showalter said as she began the presentation. Key figures in the report include an estimated total fund balance across county funds of $228,000,000 and a general-fund balance of $166,000,000 through the third quarter.
Showalter said assessed valuation increased about 8.1% for the year, which contributed to an overall revenue increase; higher personnel costs and one-time payments previously funded by ARPA reduced some fund balances. County accounting staff noted enterprise and internal-service funds are modestly higher due to projected increases in specific revenues.
CFO Lindsey Poverso explained the timing of property-tax distributions and cautioned that cash balances will decline as the county spends down revenues through the fourth quarter. "We get all of our property tax distributions in the first half of the year, and then we spend it down throughout the whole year," Poverso said. She and budget staff said they expect a small operating deficit of about $1.5 million in the county's general fund for 2025, largely tied to known one-time expenses such as contractual payments to Exploration Place and transfers to a Fire District special equipment fund.
Commissioners asked for additional breakdowns, including a detailed unrestricted-general-fund balance and quarter-by-quarter comparisons. Showalter highlighted planned capital projects discussed in the report, including design work on a new EMS Post 1, ongoing work on county roadway maintenance projects, and a state-advance payment for construction of a state mental health hospital that affected non-property-tax fund totals.
The commission voted unanimously to receive and file the quarterly financial report and requested follow-up materials on quarter comparisons and unrestricted fund calculations.
