Wichita staff lays out paired resolutions and guardrails for proposed sales tax, seeks council direction

City Manager Dennis told the Wichita City Council that staff prepared paired resolutions for each of the five proposed sales-tax initiatives and asked council members to provide implementation guidance should voters approve the measure on March 3.

"The focus of the meeting is on what we call the guardrails or parameters around the sales tax initiative," Dennis said, describing two resolution options for each initiative so council can clarify priorities and voter-facing language.

Why it matters: Council is being asked to signal how to spend revenue if the ballot measure passes. Staff presented one option that would prioritize the first $300 million of early revenues for property-tax relief, public safety and housing. That prioritization is one of two approaches under consideration; staff asked council whether to adopt that sequence or select the alternate resolution.

Key details: Staff briefed council on several policy choices embedded in the paired resolutions:

- Performing arts center: Two options spell out whether and when private fundraising thresholds should be met before public sales-tax proceeds are used for the project. Dennis asked whether council wants a fundraising goal written into the resolution for voter clarity.

- Public safety: One draft clarifies that proceeds are not to be used for staffing or operating costs, focusing the funds on capital improvements; another option would permit prioritization of maintenance projects within the public-safety CIP subset.

- Century II: Staff recommended reaffirming Policy 38 protections, which require an advisory election before Century II could be demolished or substantially remodeled, to ensure that any tax proceeds would not automatically remove that voter safeguard.

- Property-tax relief: Staff offered a general revenue-based relief option and an alternative that would commit to a minimum 4-mill reduction if $20 million in revenue is realized (figures shown in staff materials).

- Housing and homeless assistance: One resolution option would limit the use of the fund principal so that no more than $5 million of fund principal would be expended for priority expenditures; the other option leaves larger flexibility to use corpus funds.

Oversight and transparency: The ordinance language staff drafted would establish an oversight committee of up to 15 members and require at least one annual financial report; staff said council may direct more meetings, audits or reporting if desired.

Other business: A councilmember asked staff to post draft resolution language to the City of Wichita ballot-questions webpage and requested a visual (graph) showing the prioritization of early revenues to help the public understand option differences; staff agreed to prepare a PowerPoint and post information online ahead of the Tuesday ballot.

What’s next: Staff asked council for direction on which paired resolutions to move forward for the February 10 packet and said the issues will be discussed further at a March retreat planned regardless of the referendum outcome.