Maize City Council Adopts 2027 Budget With 2.087-Mill Reduction

Maize City Council Adopts 2027 Budget with Property Tax Rate Reduction and Continued Investment

The Maize City Council approved the City’s 2027 Budget on September 14, 2026, adopting a financial plan that reduces the City’s property tax rate while continuing significant investment in infrastructure, equipment, and services needed to support a growing community.

A major focus throughout the budget process was finding a responsible way to reduce the property tax rate. The adopted budget lowers the mill levy from 42.858 mills in 2026 to 40.771 mills in 2027—a reduction of 2.087 mills. This was accomplished through a combination of careful expenditure management, stronger-than-expected growth in assessed valuation, and implementation of the voter-approved Maize Matters sales tax. The City’s assessed valuation is projected at approximately $139.9 million, compared with $119.5 million the previous year.

Considerable effort by the City Council and staff went into achieving the rate reduction while maintaining the City’s ability to address important projects, equipment replacement, public safety, and long-term financial needs. Years of careful financial management and planning have helped put the City in a position to provide property tax relief while continuing to prepare for the demands associated with growth.

Maize Matters Helps Deliver Property Tax Relief

An important portion of the 2027 tax reduction comes directly from the Maize Matters 1% sales tax approved by Maize voters in August 2025 and implemented in January 2026. When the sales tax was presented to voters, the City committed 15% of the proceeds to property tax relief, with the remaining 85% dedicated to streets, sidewalks, drainage, and other infrastructure improvements.

Through August, the City had received just under $500,000 in sales tax receipts. Because the City receives sales tax revenues approximately two months after they are collected, those receipts represent only a portion of the first year of collections. Based on the current pace, the City hopes to reach the approximately $900,000 budgeted for 2026 by year-end.

Based on anticipated collections, approximately $135,000 is expected to be available to directly reduce the property tax levy in 2027. The adopted budget formally provides for a $132,600 transfer from the Maize Matters Fund to the General Fund for property tax relief.

The City Council and staff felt it was important to go further. Better-than-expected growth in overall assessed valuation, combined with careful management of City expenditures, allowed the governing body to reduce the property tax requirement by approximately another $135,000 beyond the relief associated with the dedicated sales tax proceeds. Together, these efforts helped make possible the reduction from 42.858 mills to 40.771 mills while maintaining funding for essential services, capital projects, equipment replacement, and future needs.

Maize Matters Begins Investing in 119th Street

The infrastructure portion of the Maize Matters sales tax is also beginning to be put to work. The City has started design work for improvements to 119th Street, with the long-term goal of widening the corridor between 29th Street and 45th Street.

The first segment, between 29th and 37th Streets, is anticipated to cost approximately $5.86 million. An allocation of transportation funding through the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) via the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO) will contribute approximately $4.46 million toward the project. Those funds are expected to become available in 2029 and represent approximately 76% of the anticipated cost of that segment.

The remaining portion of 119th Street, between 37th and 45th Streets, does not currently have a similar outside funding allocation and will need to be funded entirely by the community. The Maize Matters sales tax provides an important dedicated funding source both to leverage outside dollars when available and to fund improvements where outside assistance is not available.

Other 2027 Budget Highlights

Continued investment in streets and sidewalks. The 2027 Capital Improvement Program includes $450,000 for street preservation and maintenance and $175,000 toward signalization at 29th and 119th. In addition, the budget provides a total of $175,000 for sidewalk improvements, continuing the City’s focus on pedestrian safety, accessibility, and connectivity. The specific locations and scope of those sidewalk improvements will be determined as projects are evaluated and prioritized. The City is also transitioning toward a condition-based street preservation program to better prioritize maintenance expenditures and extend pavement life.

Major water and wastewater infrastructure. Continued growth requires the City to plan well ahead for utility capacity. The Capital Improvement Program includes $9.6 million for Phase 2 improvements to the wastewater treatment plant, a $1.8 million municipal production well, and construction of a new 750,000-gallon water tower. These investments are intended to provide additional capacity, meet regulatory requirements, and position the utility systems to serve continued growth.

Public safety and equipment replacement. The budget continues the Police Department’s vehicle and equipment replacement program, including two replacement patrol vehicles, radar units, encryption-ready radios, patrol rifles, and enhanced Municipal Court security equipment. Public Works investments include replacement of an aging pickup and two heavily used mowers. Funding is also provided for Community Building improvements and replacement of aging City Hall HVAC equipment.

Planning ahead while limiting personnel growth. Despite continued growth and increasing service demands, the adopted budget includes no new personnel positions. The City instead continues to emphasize careful management of existing resources and long-term planning for equipment and capital needs.

The 2027 Adopted Budget balances property tax relief with continued investment in Maize’s future. Years of careful financial planning, continued community growth, and implementation of the Maize Matters sales tax have allowed the City to reduce the mill levy while continuing to address streets, utilities, public safety, equipment, and other infrastructure needs.

As Maize continues to grow, the City will remain focused on managing expenditures carefully, planning ahead for major needs, leveraging outside funding whenever possible, and using diversified revenue sources to reduce pressure on property taxpayers while preparing for the community’s long-term needs.