Wichita council debates guardrails, funding priorities for proposed 1% sales tax ahead of March 3 vote

Wichita City Council spent much of its Jan. 27 workshop debating how to protect taxpayer money and sequence projects if voters approve a one‑percent temporary sales tax on March 3.

City staff told the council the ballot would seek a maximum of $850,000,000 over seven years, with five capped allocations: $225 million for public‑safety capital projects, $225 million for revitalizing Century II and expanding the convention center, $150 million for property‑tax relief, $150 million for homeless and housing services and $75 million for a new downtown performing‑arts center. "This is our opportunity to make sure we have some clarity," the city manager said as staff outlined timelines and oversight plans.

Finance Director Mark Manning presented revenue models showing roughly $120–$130 million a year once fully ramped and about $37.7 million expected in the partial year after the tax’s proposed July 1, 2026 start. Manning warned that exempting groceries at the state level could reduce city revenue by roughly 12 percent (an order‑of‑magnitude loss staff estimated at about $81 million over the term depending on timing). He recommended cash‑funding capital projects and said the city’s practice, consistent with state cash‑basis law, is to avoid issuing debt whose term would outlast the revenue stream.

Council and legal staff spent a large portion of the meeting parsing the ballot’s phrase about the homeless and housing initiative: the ballot creates "a restricted special fund with earnings from such fund to be…