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Wichita manager proposes roughly $800 million 2027 budget; council sets hearings to exceed revenue-neutral rate
Summary
City Manager Dennis presented a balanced FY2027 operating budget and 10-year CIP that keeps the mill levy flat at 32.34 mills; after questions about growth capture and library funding, council voted 6-1 to publish notices and set public hearings that allow the city to exceed the state'defined revenue-neutral rate.
City Manager Dennis presented the city manager's recommended 2027 operating budget and a 10-year capital improvement program on July 12, proposing roughly $800 million in operating funds and maintaining the current mill levy at 32.34 mills. The presentation highlighted public safety as the top general-fund priority and identified investments including expanded police and fire staffing, vehicle and equipment replacements, additional positions for forestry and solid-waste operations, and $375,000 in new library funding.
Dennis told the council the recommendation is balanced and maintains reserve policies while using some stabilization-reserve dollars to support homelessness efforts. "I will not submit to you an unbalanced budget," he said, adding the proposal preserves the city's bond rating and keeps the mill levy unchanged.
Mark Manning, director of finance, walked through revenue assumptions and the statutory calendar. He said the proposed budget relies on a projected $12.4 million in additional property-tax revenue tied to assessed-valuation growth and described a smaller component—about $4.2 million—that represents new construction and valuation increase beyond inflation. "We've kept the mill levy flat, for over 30 years," Manning said while explaining how individual mill changes translate to homeowner cost.
Council members pressed staff on tradeoffs, asking where reductions could be made to avoid capturing full assessed-valuation growth and how additional library funding would be sustained. Council member Shepherd and several colleagues asked for clearer, plain-language graphics so residents can compare the effects of different choices: keep the levy flat, capture only new construction and inflation, or capture full valuation growth. Several members also pushed for department-level briefings before final adoption.
After extended debate, Council Member Hoheisel moved that the council set the hearings and publish the statutory notices required to proceed with the proposed budget and related ordinances, including authorization to notify the county of intent to exceed the revenue-neutral rate. The motion—framing the action as setting a public process rather than final adoption—passed 6-1. Mayor Dennis said he intends to vote only for a levy change that captures new construction and inflation, not the entire valuation growth; council members signaled they will continue to negotiate allocations ahead of the August adoption votes.
Next steps: the council set the revenue-neutral-rate hearing and additional public hearings in August; the final budget adoption is scheduled for Aug. 25, when the council may amend levy and expenditure levels within the published hearing certificate.
