WICHITA, Kansas (KWCH) – At a public hearing on next year’s $764 million city budget, several Wichita residents expressed concern about comments they said were interpreted as opening the door to possible park closures to address a projected budget deficit after 2025.
“I was sitting on my couch (Thursday) night watching the Olympics, heard about it and rushed over here to give my two cents on the need to maintain our parks here in Wichita,” said one resident.
Wichita Mayor Lily Wu addressed what some residents have heard. She said she is not advocating for the closure of parks in the city, but stressed that all options must be considered if there is a future deficit. Thursday’s hearing focused largely on what the city will do in 2026, when it is expected to have a $3.6 million deficit.
“My question to staff during the last meeting was that the proposal only called for improvements and expansions of the (parks), and I said we also need to consider all options, including closure if we have better quality parks,” Wu said.
City council members said that delisting would not be considered in the case of park land.
“I have no interest in selling park land. I’m committed to making sure the land we have now is used well and efficiently, and then maybe in the future looking at how we can expand it. But let’s take care of what we have now before we look at other expansion opportunities,” said Wichita City Councilman Dalton Glasscock.
Kansas Senator Mary Ware, who represents part of Wichita, was one of the concerned speakers at Thursday’s public hearing.
“When people consider coming to Wichita, the number of parks is important. Having parks evenly distributed throughout the city for all economic classes is a real advantage,” she said.
Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson also tried to convince concerned citizens of the city’s importance on parks.
“One of the most impressive things we hear from our residents and guests is the number of parks we have. Quality of life is truly an investment in us. If anything, we should not touch that, and that is something I will be very vocal about and have been,” he said.
Before the City of Wichita adopts its 2025 budget, there will be two more public hearings, one on August 13 and one on August 20, to discuss next year’s budget and future challenges. Both begin at 9 a.m. At the August 20 meeting, the council is expected to adopt the 2025 budget after the final hearing.
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