Arts and recreation advocates push back on proposed Sedgwick County budget cuts
Representatives for arts, culture, and recreation programs in Sedgwick County are expressing concerns about County Manager Tom Stolz’s 2025 budget proposal that includes significant cuts to local attractions.
Among other reductions, the proposal calls for a $478,467 cut to the parks department, $220,140 to Exploration Place and $9,200 to the Kansas African-American Museum. The Sedgwick County Zoo would have to reduce its capital improvement plan by $250,000. During a hearing Wednesday evening, county commissioners received pushback on the plan.
“The zoo, Exploration Place, the Kansas African-American Museum, together they all add up the quality of life we need to build on and not take away from,” said Tami Bradley, representing the Greater Wichita Partnership, a regional economic development organization. “We realize these cuts may sound small now for these entities, but in reality, they take away resources that add up over time.”
The budget proposal calls for a roughly one-third mill reduction to the mill levy rate, a proposal that aims to ease some of the burden on property taxpayers as property values rise. The budget includes a $1.4 million deficit in 2025 that officials plan to eliminate in 2026. With the shortfall, the proposal includes a focus on core government services.
Betsy Redler, a member of the women’s leadership organization Junior League, said when she arrived in Wichita in 1990, she wanted to leave. Places like the zoo helped her fall in love with the city.
“You need to take care of things that are important, and our city is important,” Redler said. “All these entities are economic drivers to help our city thrive.”
Susie Santo, president and CEO of Visit Wichita, spoke to the economic impact of Sedgwick County’s attractions.
“These attractions are not merely recreational spots; they are significant economic drivers for our community,” Santo said. “In fact, visitors to our community contribute over $1.5 billion annually to the economy, supporting local businesses and creating jobs.”
Amy Seery, a pediatrician with Ascension Via Christi, said Exploration Place is vital for lower-income families and local teachers.
“EP has had a profound impact on our youth, who become inspired to choose careers in these industries and then to stay local as they join our work forces,” Seery said. “At EP, students can see people that look like them engaging in STEM careers, and they start to see those possibilities in themselves.”
Mandy Wilbert is a member of the Sedgwick C.ounty Zoo’s board of directors. She said the cuts would delay much-needed infrastructure work.
“There are more than 90 county-owned structures on the zoo campus for the care of animals and guests, many of which are decades old,” Wilbert said. “The maintenance, repair and upkeep of these buildings is part of our partnership, and there’s already a lengthy list of critical and necessary repairs and maintenance.”
Commissioner David Dennis, who serves on the zoo’s board of trustees, said that when he briefed the board about the impending cuts, they were “not happy,” but still valued the partnership with the county.
“I know that it’s difficult for every organization that’s going to be here tonight and is going to talk to us,” Dennis said. “But the fact is, we have to live in a budget just as everyone else has to. … It was a very refreshing moment for me to sit in that meeting last week and hear from one board member after another saying, ‘We hate it, but we’re your partners. We’re going to live to do this together.’”
A common theme from the speakers was a sense that Sedgwick County had caught organizations off guard by promising funding in the past and now threatening budget cuts.
“My father told me 50 years ago when I began selling homes that I only had to do one thing to be credible and referable,” said Cindy Carnahan, a Realtor. “He said, ‘You must always do what you said you would do.’ Please honor your commitment to Exploration Place.”
Commissioner Jim Howell said after reviewing the county’s funding agreement with the Exploration Place, “there may have been some folks that misunderstood what we voted upon.”
“There was funding that was earmarked in 2023, and the remaining years; 24, 25, 26 and 27, there is no funding amount listed in that contract,” Howell said. “So there is no actual commitment from Sedgwick County for the following four years.”
Near the end of the hearing, Dennis said he appreciated hearing from people but expressed frustration that no speakers offered alternatives that could be cut in favor of arts and recreational programs.
“We have to make some hard decisions. What things do you want us to cut, not to cut yours?” Dennis said. “And that’s a hard thing. I don’t know where we’re going, because we have a structural imbalance on our budget and we’re going to have to cut something.”
Howell, who has pushed to switch the funding sources of many county projects from property to sales tax, said as long as property taxes are relied on, there will continue to be gaps in the budget.
“I implore upon groups like the Sedgwick County Zoo and Exploration Place and others to please help us move this from property taxes to sales taxes,” Howell said. “It’s the future. It is the right way to fund government. And when we use property taxes to fund these things, there are people in the community that are struggling to pay the property taxes.”
The county is considering asking voters next year for a sales tax to fund cultural and recreation programs while reducing the mill levy. The proposal is in its early stages, and no speakers brought it up at the hearing.
A second county budget hearing will take place at 9 a.m. Aug. 21 in the lower-level auditorium of the Ruffin Building, 100 N. Broadway. Later in that meeting, the commission will adopt the final 2025 budget.