Sedgwick County manager unveils $624.2 million recommended 2027 budget; commissioners debate mill levy, arena funding and EMS staffing

Tom Stills, Sedgwick County manager, presented the county's 2027 recommended budget on July 15, saying the proposal totals $624,195,119 for the general fund and includes a mix of service additions, operating adjustments and capital projects. "This is the budget team. It touches all major divisions within the county," Stills said as he outlined staffing, compensation and several large capital requests.

The proposal would reduce the mill levy rate by 0.725 mills to 26.842 while capturing 4.2% of available assessed value growth; Stills and budget staff said the approach balances service needs with taxpayers' ability to pay. The recommended package shifts $1.4 million in Comcare property-tax-funded items to CCBHC revenue funding, updates fleet charges, and declines about $7.6 million in department asks. Stills highlighted targeted additions for mission-critical services, saying EMS would receive the largest increase in the package.

Why it matters: The recommended budget sets the top-line that the commission will use to publish notices and hold public hearings. Commissioners must still decide final changes before the Aug. 26 adoption date; the budget as published triggers statutorily required notices and the revenue-neutral-rate process.

Major items and proposals

- Public safety and EMS: Stills recommended adding 10 EMTs, 5 paramedics, two ambulances and two operational support vehicles, plus increased contractual commodities for EMS. The county manager said the EMS package is phased to offset overtime and aims to be revenue neutral for operations. "So adding that all up, that's about $3,500,000 moving to EMS," he said.

- Compensation: The recommendation includes step/scale adjustments for the sheriff's office, the Sedgwick County Fire Department and a 3%+ increase for most employee pay plans, with a minimum 4% adjustment overall.

- Appraiser's office and technology investments: The manager proposed three additional appraiser positions and an IT project manager to modernize the office, plus a commercial market application to improve data tracking and reporting.

- Capital and infrastructure: Large capital asks include a $5.8 million replacement of the Reagan Building HVAC system and a $14.5 million 9-1-1 radio system (to be bonded and repaid from 9-1-1 funds). The presentation also identified $47.2 million for drainage projects and other CIP items for roads and facilities.

Debate and questions from commissioners

Commissioners pressed staff on several high-cost items and broader tax strategy. Commissioner Howell (speaker 17) questioned the extent of assessed-value growth captured in the recommended budget and the treatment of Wichita State University in the calculation, arguing for clearer presentation of WSU-related mill levy lines and for moving some functions off property tax where possible. "If you take them out of the budget, it's 4.2," Howell said about the county's portion of growth; he urged separating line items such as WSU and aging mill levies on public notices.

Commissioners also questioned the Reagan Building HVAC estimate. Tonya Cole, assistant county manager, explained the work would replace the entire central plant, boilers and chillers and retrofit units across floors. Commissioners asked staff to examine options to reduce the price and to provide lifespan data for the systems.

Intrust Bank Arena and funding options drew particular attention. County finance staff said the arena reserve currently holds roughly $1.2 million and that typical county facility fees generate about $250,000 annually; achieving $2 million in capital funding via a ticket surcharge would require much larger increases or a renegotiated management agreement. Commissioners discussed a range of options, including city-led CID authority, ticket fees and longer-term legislative solutions, and asked staff to return with analyses.

Numbers and schedule

Budget staff presented the recommended totals and the process timeline. The recommended general-fund budget is $624,195,119; the county manager said the draft would reduce the mill levy to 26.842 mills if adopted as proposed.

Next steps and action taken

After questions and discussion, the commission moved to "receive and file" the manager's recommended budget presentation and voted 5-0 to do so. The board then authorized publication of the maximum proposed budget and a notice of intent to exceed the revenue-neutral rate (25.654 mills), setting public hearings for July 29 (6 p.m.) and Aug. 26 (9 a.m.) in Ruffin Auditorium. Lorraine Showalter, budget director, summarized statutory publishing requirements and the deadlines for the required notices.

What the presentation did not decide

The presentation and motions on July 15 did not adopt a final budget. Commissioners and staff repeatedly noted that department-level adjustments, revenue analyses and further discussion will occur over the coming weeks before a final adoption vote is scheduled for Aug. 26.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to receive and file the recommended budget presentation: passed 5-0.
- Motion to authorize publication of the proposed maximum budget ($624,195,119) and notice of intent to exceed the revenue-neutral rate, and to set hearings on July 29 and Aug. 26: passed 5-0.

Sources and provenance

This article is based on the Sedgwick County Manager's presentation (SEG 654SEG 2296) and the commission's subsequent motions and roll-call votes (SEG 2278SEG 2380).