Wichita City Manager Presents 2020-2021 Proposed Budget

From the City of Wichita: The City Manager presented the 2020-2021 Proposed Budget and 2019-2028 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) at today’s City Council meeting. The documents can be viewed at www.wichita.gov as well as at all Wichita Public Library branches.

A public hearing was also held today during the City Council meeting with two additional public hearings scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 6 and Tuesday, Aug. 13. The City Council meetings start at 9 a.m. Additional public engagement on the budget included a new online budget simulator which was offered from May 13 to June 15. City officials also made presentations to all District Advisory Boards and held a Social Media Town Hall event in June. The town hall shared results from the budget simulator and provided a way for participants to provide feedback. The event had a reach of 80,527 with 700 comments.

Budget Highlights

• The mill levy rate is unchanged. The 2020 budget is based on an estimated mill levy rate equal to last year’s rate.
• Additional funding for park maintenance. The funds would be used to address maintenance requests in a more timely fashion.
• Library Branch Study recommendations are included. All current library branches are funded in the 2020 Budget.
• Street maintenance improvements continue. The Capital Improvement Program and Operating Budget are integrated to provide $9 million in funding in 2019, $10 million in 2020, and $11 million in 2021 for street maintenance.
• Reserves are maintained at appropriate levels. The 2019 budget includes General Fund reserves of $34.8 million, which is greater than 10% of projected expenditures, in accordance with City Council policy.
• Seven grant-funded police officers are moved to the General Fund after the retention period ends. The officers currently patrol the Broadway Corridor.

Capital Improvement Plan Highlights

The 2019-2028 Proposed CIP is based on a project prioritization model.

• Public Safety, $92.2 million: This includes $30.2 million to replace fire trucks and related equipment, $10 million for Police and Fire radio replacements and $13.9 million for other Public Safety equipment and facility upgrades. There is also $38.1 million in funding for the replacement of four Police stations and three Fire stations.
• Downtown projects, $39.3 million: Public investment in downtown continues to provide infrastructure that supports hundreds of millions in private investment.
• Street pavement maintenance, $98 million: The street maintenance efforts would be expanded with this funding.
• Park & Recreation Aquatics Plan, $20.8 million: Funding is allocated to upgrade six City pools and to add six new splash pads.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian improvement projects, nearly $14.3 million: These projects leverage federal funding and are based upon priority areas recommended by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.

The City of Wichita’s mission is to be an exceptionally well-run city that keeps Wichita safe, grows the economy, builds dependable infrastructure, and provides conditions for living well. Both the $625 million 2020-2021 Operating Budget and the $2.4 billion, 10-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) are aligned with this mission.

This press release was produced by the City of Wichita. The views expressed here are the author's own.