On Aug. 10, the Board of County Commissioners discussed and adopted a budget for 2017. 

The 2017 operating budget for Sedgwick County totals $406,091,994. It will be supported with a property tax levy of $133,201,437 will require a mill levy of approximately 29.359 mills.

Among the many enhancements included in this budget are:

• The addition of 8 positions and equipment to improve response times and enhance service quality of the EMS system;
  
• The addition of 9 positions and software to upgrade the 911 emergency call system; and
  
• The addition of $1.5 million to previously allocated funds, in order to replace all voting equipment.

Sedgwick County’s five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) includes $185.5 million of funding for the Law Enforcement Training Center, the replacement of the I-235 and US-54 interchange as well as the replacement or renovation of 20 other bridges, three new EMS posts, expansion of the Regional Forensic Science Center, and numerous other enhancements to county infrastructure. The budget for the 2017 CIP is $64,935,564, of which $52.6-million is for road maintenance and capacity expansion, $6.3 million is for bridge renovation or replacement, $5.5 million is for facility enhancements, and $500,000 is for maintenance of the Big Ditch.

Commissioners reinstated a position for the Community Health Improvement Program (CHIP) which was eliminated in the 2016 Adopted Budget. This position is responsible for the coordination of actions community partners can take to ensure successful outcomes of the plan and overall community health. 

The CIP was amended so that funding for the Cold Mix and Gravel Road Replacement Program was reallocated to the Preventative Maintenance on Selected Roads Program in 2017. A total of $1.5 million was reallocated. 

The 2017 operating budget for Fire District 1 totals $18,064,749. This budget will be supported with a property tax levy of $15,744,982 which will require a mill levy of approximately 18.371 mills.