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Legislative briefing: SB 33 removed new sales-tax formula; property-tax changes sent to governor raise budget-timing questions
Summary
A legislative update from "Kimberly" told the council the Kansas Legislature adjourned and that Senate Bill 33 — which would have changed city–county sales-tax apportionment — left the city spared an immediate hit after the Senate removed a new formula; Kimberly also warned that a revised property-tax bill sent to the governor takes effect immediately and may complicate current municipal budgets and protest-petition timing.
Kimberly briefed the Wichita City Council that the Kansas Legislature adjourned 'sine die' and summarized several outcomes with local consequences. She said Senate Bill 33 — a city–county sales-tax apportionment bill — at one point contained a new formula that "had a very sizable impact on the city," but the Senate removed that formula and instead advanced a one‑year extension of the current funding formula.
Kimberly also said several counties seeking sales-tax authority to place measures on the ballot did not secure approval from the Legislature, and noted local partners including Sedgwick County and Wichita State University have been working on a more equitable apportionment approach.
On property tax, Kimberly said the Legislature advanced a revised bill to the governor that includes exemptions for bonding and annexation and provisions allowing cities to capture growth from economic-development incentives. She warned that the bill's implementation date is immediate, which could create challenges for municipalities that are already preparing budgets: "it could certainly impact the current cycle that we're in," she said. Kimberly added there is uncertainty about how protest‑petition signatures are counted and certified, noting that petitions must be certified within seven calendar days, a timeline that could leave only a few working days to coordinate across taxing jurisdictions.
Kimberly concluded by offering to answer council questions. Council members did not take formal action on state policy during the meeting; Kimberly's briefing was informational.
