Property tax increase proposed to boost Wichita police

Property taxes could increase by one mill to beef up the Wichita Police Department under a proposal from City Manager Robert Layton.

He made that recommendation Tuesday as the City Council got its first public briefing on the annual budget.

If approved, an additional mill on the tax levy would add about $17.25 per year to the property tax paid on a $150,000 home, Layton said. Based on current property values, a mill of tax would generate about $3.37 million a year for police, according to the Sedgwick County clerk’s office.

A consultant’s study released in May said the Police Department is understaffed and recommended adding 73 positions to bring it up to what would be about average for a city of Wichita’s size.

The proposed property tax increase, which would start in 2019, would mark the first time the City Council has taken deliberate action to increase the mill levy in more than 20 years.

Layton said City Hall can cover the cost of increased police staffing in 2018 because the city got about a $3 million windfall related to the sale of the Warren theater chain.

When owner Bill Warren sold his theaters to Regal Cinemas last month, he had to pay back money the city had lent him to develop his theaters, Layton said.

But if the city tries to continue to rely on one-time fixes, “it would just result in $2 million or more (deficit) every year after that,” Layton said.

The city has seen downturns in its other sources of general revenue, Layton said. The sales tax has been hit hard by online shopping, and natural gas taxes have declined since the price of gas peaked in 2001.

Cable franchise fees peaked in 2010 because “fewer and fewer people are hooking onto cable,” and telephone franchise taxes have fallen a whopping 89 percent since 1999 “because nobody uses landlines anymore,” he said.

City Council members said they support the expansion of the Police Department, but some want to look for other ways to pay for it.

“I’d like to see what other options we have,” said council member Bryan Frye. “Police, fire and emergency medical services are priorities in this community. We’ve got to figure out a way to fund that.”

Council member Janet Miller said she doesn’t think one extra mill would be a big deal for Wichitans to spend on a safer community.

“More public service costs you one large meat-topping pizza a year,” she said. “That’s if you live in a $150,000 home.”

Because any change in mill levy will be delayed at least a year, Miller and council member Lavonta Williams, who face term limits, will leave office before a binding vote is held on the 2019 budget.

But “we can get the ball rolling,” Williams said. “If that’s what it’s going to take to make sure our city’s safe, I’m for that.”

The council can raise the mill levy for police on its own without a public vote, because public safety is specifically exempt from a state spending-cap law passed by the Legislature last year.

Council member James Clendenin said he wants to hear what members of the public think before pulling the trigger on a mill levy increase, but he doesn’t necessarily support putting it to a referendum.

“Public safety and keeping the public safe is something we do need to make the tough decisions,” Clendenin said. “When we talk about raising the mill for public safety, it’s because we see it’s sorely needed.”

Council member Jeff Blubaugh said public safety is the only reason he would consider raising property taxes.

Layton’s proposed 2018 budget is still a work in progress but is expected to also include a package of cuts including:

▪  More use of part-time staff, $110,000.

▪  Selling some reserve fire equipment, $92,000.

▪  Eliminating transfer of money from the general fund to economic development, $185,000.

▪  Trimming proposed improvements to the Stryker Field sports complex, $75,000.

The budget will be formally presented to the council on July 18 after a series of neighborhood meetings to gather input.

It will go to a public hearing on Aug. 1 with a second hearing and adoption scheduled for Aug. 8.

This story was originally published June 27, 2017 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Property tax increase proposed to boost Wichita police."