Ways to weigh in on 2026 Budget
Published on June 25, 2025
Lenexa’s mayor and city council recently began review of the 2026 Recommended Budget. Next year’s proposed financial plan is designed to create harmony between the community’s priorities, mixed economic indicators, a newly renewed revenue source and further reduction in the property tax rate.
Budget at a glance
The total recommended budget for 2026 is $261.1 million. It reduces the property tax rate to 26.459 mills, a decrease of 0.5 mills compared 2025’s mill levy. This is Lenexa’s eighth consecutive reduction in the property tax rate.
When crafting the budget, City leaders adhered to the longstanding budget principles that have helped the City achieve favorable financial results over many years. They also weighed these key influences:
- A strong local economy with stable revenue and ongoing development activity.
- National economic uncertainty and higher costs for contractual services, commodities and capital projects due to inflation, elevated interest rates and new tariffs.
- Potential for slower growth.
- New state or federal laws that could negatively impact City revenue.
- The City’s commitment to providing exceptional services to the residents and businesses of Lenexa.
- Recruiting and retaining staff in the current job market.
“This budget reflects a balanced approach — investing in community priorities while maintaining the flexibility needed to respond to evolving economic conditions,” City Manager Beccy Yocham wrote in her budget message to the Governing Body. “Further, the proposed budget honors existing commitments, continues to carry out the Governing Body’s Guiding Principles and maintains our conservative and longstanding budget principles which have been critical in our long-term financial success.”
A pivotal election this spring allowed City leaders to build the budget with the support of a key ongoing revenue source and signaled the community’s support for the City’s management of infrastructure priorities and fiscal planning. Lenexa’s 3/8-Cent Sales Tax was overwhelmingly approved by voters in April 2025 and will continue to fund street maintenance and parks and recreation projects over the next 20 years.
“This decisive vote underscores our residents’ commitment to maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in Lenexa and reflects their confidence in the City’s ability to deliver high-quality, well-managed services,” Yocham said. “We are deeply grateful for this trust and remain committed to using these resources responsibly to support the infrastructure and amenities that make Lenexa a vibrant and welcoming community.”
Explore the budget
The 2026 Recommended Budget is posted to Lenexa.com/Budget. You can review the full proposed budget document, which includes a financial overview, individual department and fund budgets, and more helpful details.
If you’re just interested in the highlights, City Manager Beccy Yocham and Chief Financial Officer Nate Blum explain how City leaders developed the 2026 Recommended Budget and share a high-level overview of the document in a recorded presentation below.
Budget timeline
Over the next few months, Lenexans have the opportunity to review and ask questions about the proposed document before it’s considered for approval.
June 24: City staff presented an overview of the Recommended 2026 Budget to the mayor and city council during a Committee of the Whole meeting at 7 p.m. Committee of the Whole meetings are for discussion only — no formal action can be taken.
July 8: The mayor and city council will hold a second budget review session to review individual department budgets. This Committee of the Whole meeting will also be for discussion only.
Early August: Estimated tax notices are mailed by Johnson County to all property owners. These notices include information on public hearing dates, proposed property tax rate changes and estimates for your future property tax amounts.
A 2021 state law requires all taxing jurisdictions — like cities, counties and school districts — to send out a mailed notice and hold a public hearing if they intend to exceed the revenue neutral rate. This is the mill levy needed to generate the same amount of property tax revenue as the prior year, using the current year’s assessed valuation amounts. It’s common for taxing jurisdictions to exceed this rate so they can maintain and expand services.
Sept 2: During a Lenexa City Council meeting at 7 p.m., there will be two public hearings: one about exceeding the revenue neutral rate, and one about the proposed budget. The council will then vote on a resolution to approve the 2026 Budget.
If you’d like to give verbal feedback on the proposed budget to the mayor and council, these public hearings are the time to do so. Email budget questions to budget@lenexa.com.
Citizen Questions About FY2026 Recommended Budget
Fall: City leaders will begin review of the 2026–2030 Capital Improvement Program, which creates a plan for funding and building capital projects over a rolling five-year period.