Here’s what Wichita plans to cut, fund in proposed 2026 budget

The city of Wichita plans to cut its property tax levy a half mill in its 2026 budget and to pay for 42 fire department positions that had been funded by an expiring federal grant.

The city’s proposed budget would grow to $776 million, up from $763 million, which the city said is largely due to rising staff wages and benefits.

It proposes cuts in some areas to balance the budget.

The city plans to reorganize its municipal court system because of declining cases, which would eliminate some staff positions. That would reduce the budget by $568,696 in 2026.

A communications specialist position in the city manager’s office would also be eliminated.

Other cuts include reducing spending on public art in the city’s proposed capital improvement program from 2% of the total CIP budget to 1% starting in 2027.

Forty-two positions in the fire department had been funded by the federal SAFER grant. The proposed budget showed the city has decided to retain those positions using $3,988,166 from general funds.

Amid calls for tax relief from property owners, the city’s budget this year was created using a half mill reduction, the first mill levy reduction in nearly 40 years.

The city says reducing the mill levy rate would mean a $15-a-year reduction in property taxes for a $260,000 home, which they say is the average cost for a home in the area.

However, an Eagle analysis found that those savings would probably be captured by only 1% of homeowners if appraisal values continue to trend up like in previous years.

Council member Brandon Johnson continued his calls Tuesday for raising the city’s mill levy.

“I continuously said that what I’ve seen over the years is we truly need to invest more in these services,” Johnson said. “But I cannot vote for a symbolic $14 benefit … that I know will put some strain on local government in the future.”

He later carried a motion to increase the mill levy by one, which failed. Other suggestions included keeping the mill rate the same, or reducing it by a quarter of a mill, rather than the half.

Those motions and suggestions failed, setting the city’s budget to the half mill reduction rate.

“I can not support tax increases at this time,” said council member Mike Hoheisel, who’s running for reelection.

For the past several years, the city projected budget deficits of several million dollars starting in 2026. The city says that now won’t happen until 2028, which the city is currently projecting to have a nearly $4 million deficit.

“This is very early in the projection process, and a lot of things can happen between now and the end of next year,” City Manager Robert Layton, who’s retiring at the end of the year, said.

The city will continue its budget discussions through the summer, with its first public hearing at an evening city council meeting on Aug. 7. Another hearing is planned for Aug. 15, with a final hearing and approval by the council on Aug. 26.

Residents can also continue giving feedback on the budget by using the city’s budget simulator.

This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 3:39 PM.