Overview
Hays' 2026 budget workbook sets total budget authority at $54,328,263, supported by $7,880,592 in ad valorem tax. After removing $15,494,617 in transfers, net expenditure is $38,833,646. The General Fund is $19,374,793, about 36% of the total. The estimated tax rate of 24.999 mills keeps the mill levy at 25.00 for a 17th consecutive year, per the staff memo, while raising the Airport mill allocation from 1.50 to 2.50. Assessed valuation is $315,223,678, up 2.5% from the prior year. The memo also notes sales tax revenues budgeted 2% above 2025 projections, a General Fund transfer of about $2.8 million to the Commission Capital Reserve (about $1.2 million of it Ellis County sales tax proceeds), and a $40,000 addition to the Police budget for Ellis County inmate housing.
Source: City of Hays 2026 Budget Workbook, summary and memo pages.
At a glance
Source: City of Hays 2026 Budget Workbook, summary and memo pages.
All funds - 2026 budget workbook summary
The authority column sums exactly to the printed $54,328,263 total, and the ad valorem components sum exactly to $7,880,592. One summary line prints only as 'R9' with 2026 authority of $763,106; it is shown exactly as printed, because the extraction does not resolve the label. The 2024 comparison column total as printed ($83,905,136) is $56,893 below the sum of its listed rows - exactly the 2024 Opioid Settlement figure - so only the 2026 columns are claimed as sum-checked here.
| Fund | 2026 budget authority | 2026 ad valorem tax |
|---|---|---|
| General | $19,374,793 | — |
| Debt Service | $2,914,336 | $1,304,419 |
| Library | $2,022,142 | $1,845,978 |
| Library Employee Benefit | $200,000 | $171,953 |
| Airport | $1,125,737 | $788,059 |
| Public Safety Equipment | $763,028 | $630,447 |
| Employee Benefit | $5,604,219 | $3,139,736 |
| Special Highway | $1,139,245 | — |
| Solid Waste | $1,838,352 | — |
| Special Parks & Recreation | $410,949 | — |
| Special Alcohol | $175,299 | — |
| Convention & Visitors Bureau | $1,808,019 | — |
| Storm Water Management | $973,970 | — |
| Water Reclamation | $5,943,359 | — |
| Water Production | $4,216,316 | — |
| Water Conservation | $4,972,615 | — |
| Fund printed as 'R9' | $763,106 | — |
| Opioid Settlement | $82,778 | — |
| Total | $54,328,263 | $7,880,592 |
Source: City of Hays 2026 Budget Workbook, summary and memo pages.
General Fund
The General Fund's 2026 authority is $19,374,793, the largest single fund. The workbook's fund-page detail was not present in the extracted text, so no department breakdown is claimed here. The staff memo adds context: General Fund operating expenditures rise about $800,000, of which about $500,000 is a 2% step and 3% cost-of-living adjustment for all employees; about $2.8 million transfers to the Commission Capital Reserve, including about $1.2 million in Ellis County sales tax proceeds; and the Police budget gains $40,000 for Ellis County inmate housing.
General Fund - 2026 authority (no comparison figures are claimed; the workbook's fund-page detail was not present in the extracted text)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| General Fund, 2026 authority | $19,374,793 |
| Total | $19,374,793 |
Source: City of Hays 2026 Budget Workbook, summary and memo pages.
Debt
As of January 1, 2025, total indebtedness was $33,112,737: general obligation bonds of $11,505,000 plus other debt of $21,607,737, with no revenue bonds and no lease-purchase principal outstanding. The debt schedule in the summary lists the bonds as Series 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024A, and 2024B issues; the per-series balances were not extractable in full, so only the verified totals are shown.
Source: City of Hays 2026 Budget Workbook, summary and memo pages.
Sources & notes
- Only source used: City of Hays, Kansas, 2026 Budget Workbook (budget summary, debt summary, and July 3, 2025 staff memo). Read the workbook (PDF).
- Sum checks: the 2026 authority column and the ad valorem components both reconcile exactly to their printed totals, as does net expenditure (authority minus transfers). The 2024 comparison total does not reconcile (see the funds note).
- Disclosures: the summary is headed 'Proposed Budget 2026' and the adoption resolution was not in the extracted document; the 'R9' fund label is reproduced exactly as printed; fund-page department detail was not present in the extracted text.
- City palette: no verified City of Hays palette was on file, so this page uses the neutral Hometown Numbers dark-glass theme rather than a city color.