Councilman Dalton Glasscock

Councilman Dalton Glasscock Vice Mayor of Wichita Dalton Glasscock
Paid for by Wichitans for Glasscock, Todd Johnson Treasurer

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Delano just keeps getting better. 🍻Stopped by the brand new Flatlanders Brewing at 623 W. Douglas right next door to Pic...
09/02/2026

Delano just keeps getting better. 🍻

Stopped by the brand new Flatlanders Brewing at 623 W. Douglas right next door to Picasso’s. Two stories, two patios, a rooftop overlooking Douglas, and beer brewed right here in Wichita. Plus, you can grab a Picasso’s pizza through the connecting wall.

Another local investment bringing new energy to historic Delano. Welcome to the neighborhood, Flatlanders!

FRIDAY FAST FACT: The CIP or Capital Improvement Program.The City has an annual operating budget, but it also maintains ...
08/28/2026

FRIDAY FAST FACT: The CIP or Capital Improvement Program.

The City has an annual operating budget, but it also maintains a 10-year capital plan.

Those are not the same thing.

The operating budget generally pays for the recurring cost of running the City: salaries, fuel, utilities, supplies and everyday services.

The CIP is where we plan major, long-lived investments: roads, bridges, fire stations, water and sewer infrastructure, parks, buildings and major equipment.

A project appearing in the CIP does not necessarily mean the money has already been spent, borrowed or even fully committed. Projects can sit several years out in the plan, move between years, change in scope, or depend on future funding decisions.

It is essentially a long-range financial roadmap that asks:

What infrastructure will Wichita need, when will we need it, and how are we going to pay for it?

When you hear someone say, “It’s already in the budget.”

Sometimes it is. Sometimes it’s just in the CIP.

And those can mean very different things.

Hoping to make government jargon slightly less government-y.

I spent nearly the entire day in Oklahoma City today asking questions.Before I share what I learned, I want to thank May...
08/28/2026

I spent nearly the entire day in Oklahoma City today asking questions.

Before I share what I learned, I want to thank Mayor David Holt, the City of Oklahoma City (Kristy, Bailey, and David) and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber (Shaun, Marcus, Mike, Jonathan and Cynthia) for being incredibly gracious with their time. They opened their doors, walked me through more than 30 years of decisions and lessons learned, and answered some pretty direct questions about how their community got from where it was to where it is today. If I learned nothing else today, I learned this: Oklahoma City takes hospitality to another level. The generosity, openness and time they gave me was extraordinary.

Thirty years ago, Wichita and Oklahoma City were much more comparable communities. Today, their trajectories look very different in population growth, downtown development, amenities, private investment and momentum.

My favorite quote from one of Wichita’s founders, J.R. Mead: “Cities are not the result of chance, nor do they make themselves. Their prosperity and greatness are in large measure due to the sagacity and enterprise of their founders.”

That was true when Wichita was built, and I think it is just as true today. Cities do not simply become great. People make choices that determine their trajectory.

So after a day in Oklahoma City, the question I keep coming back to is:What have they been doing differently, and what are we willing to do differently? I filled pages of a notebook today. Over the next several days, I’m going to share what I learned.

Some of it is about MAPS. A lot of it isn’t.

It’s about vision, trust, ex*****on, transparency, keeping promises and having the courage to decide where you want your city to go. Wichita does not need Oklahoma City’s vision. Wichita needs a vision of its own.

08/27/2026

Wichita is shining a little pinker tonight. đź’—

In honor of Dolly Parton, all city light installations are glowing pink — and they’ll stay that way as our nation’s flags remain at half-staff in her memory through sunset on September 1.

Few people leave the world brighter than they found it. Through her music, her generosity, and millions of books placed in the hands of children, Dolly certainly did.

So for the next few nights, Wichita will leave a little light on for Dolly. đź’—

As I head toward the tail end of my 30 Conversations in 30 Days, one theme has come up again and again: Wichita has incr...
08/26/2026

As I head toward the tail end of my 30 Conversations in 30 Days, one theme has come up again and again: Wichita has incredible assets and incredible people, but too often we lack a clear, shared vision for where we are going.

Tomorrow, I’m heading to Oklahoma City to meet with Mayor David Holt and learn from a community that made that collective decision decades ago.

OKC decided to invest in itself, in its downtown, its riverfront, its public spaces and its quality of life, its people and to keep building toward a long-term vision even when the payoff wasn’t immediate.

Today, they are seeing the fruits of that work. Their skyline has changed. Their riverfront has become a destination. And in just two years, Oklahoma City will welcome the World as they help host the 2028 Olympic Games.

Wichita does not need to copy Oklahoma City. We need to build something uniquely Wichita.

What kind of city we want to be 10, 20 and 30 years from now? I’m looking forward to listening, learning and bringing some of those lessons home.

08/26/2026

We are called to lead, and with that comes a responsibility to govern, to make choices, find common ground, and move the city forward.

Most people probably don’t know that we spent hours today working through Wichita’s 2027 budget, but this is one of the most consequential votes we take each year. I’m thankful to the majority of my colleagues who worked together to identify more than $1 million in reductions, allowing us to reduce the planned draw on our Stabilization Reserve while still funding the first new fire station in 17 years, increasing support for our libraries, and creating a homestead property tax relief program to provide targeted help to Wichita homeowners. The final budget was adopted on a 6–1 vote.

Is this budget perfect? No. But these changes make it stronger, more responsible, and better aligned with the priorities I hear from Wichitans every day.

I’m thinking about using Fridays for a quick “Friday Fast Facts” on local government terms that get thrown around a lot ...
08/21/2026

I’m thinking about using Fridays for a quick “Friday Fast Facts” on local government terms that get thrown around a lot but aren’t always explained very well.

One thing I’ve realized is that people hear words like mill levy, RNR, or CIP and understandably have questions. And when government language is hard to understand, it becomes harder to stay engaged. We should do a better job translating it.

So, first up: Revenue Neutral Rate.

RNR is essentially the property-tax rate that would allow the City to collect the same amount of property-tax revenue as the year before.

Here’s an overly simple example: if the City bought one tank of gas last year and that exact same tank costs $1 more this year (it does), collecting that extra dollar would technically put us above revenue neutral. That is if we collect one more (property tax) dollar to pay for that increase.

Of course, we all understand that prices change. Government faces inflation too.

That’s why my position has been that City revenue growth should be tied as closely as reasonably possible to inflation and new growth in the private market not simply grow because property valuations grew.

There’s obviously more nuance to it, but that’s the point of these posts: making local government a little easier to understand.

Maybe CIP next Friday.

A promise made to southwest Wichita, now being realized.For years, we’ve talked about the need to make sure public safet...
08/21/2026

A promise made to southwest Wichita, now being realized.

For years, we’ve talked about the need to make sure public safety infrastructure keeps pace with the growth of southwest Wichita.

The significance of breaking ground at this particular corner was not lost. Recent events here have been a painful reminder of how quickly an ordinary day can change, and how important it is to have well-trained first responders ready when our community needs them most.

There are a lot of people who worked for years to get us to this day including my predecessor Commissioner Jeff Blubaugh. I’m grateful for them, and especially grateful for the men and women of Wichita Fire who will serve out of Station 23.

08/19/2026

On August 25, the City Council will take final action on Wichita’s 2027 budget.

I’ve been working through the budget line by line and comparing the 2026 revised budget to the 2027 proposal. Here are several amendments I’m considering, many of which overlap with ideas colleagues have raised from the bench:

• Eliminate the new $300,000 employee tuition program. Mayor Wu also raised this during our budget discussion and was ready with a motion.

• Reduce the $1.447 million Unallocated Administrative Costs line by $1 million, leaving $447,332 available.

• Restore a $400,000 process and administrative efficiency target. The 2026 budget carried an $800,000 process-improvement savings assumption; the 2027 proposal carries none.

• Hold two new fiscal positions in the City Manager’s Office until staff demonstrates they are not duplicative of the new Finance/Central Services structure. Councilman Johnston raised a different perspective on these positions during our discussion, and I may also have received additional information from staff last night that helps paint a fuller picture before Tuesday.

• Use net General Fund savings from these amendments to reduce the planned draw on the Stabilization Reserve, rather than immediately redirecting those savings to other spending.

• Tie 2027 City funding for the Multi-Agency Center to a documented net increase in emergency or low-barrier shelter beds.

• Provide $10,000 in one-time funding for the Mayor’s Youth Council. Mayor Wu led an effort yesterday to reduce her travel funding to cover this cost and potentially more with Council member Tuttle offering some amended changes that would take it out of all Council travel instead.

• Create a $100,000 homeowner property-tax relief pilot using Kansas Homestead eligibility, with a proposed benefit of $200 per qualifying owner-occupied Wichita household. Councilman Hoheisel has advocated for this kind of relief for years and led a motion yesterday directing staff to bring back a plan by Tuesday.

• Reprogram up to $400,000 of uninitiated Pawnee Prairie capital authority toward eligible tree and stump backlog work. Parks has identified an approximately $1.8 million tree/stump backlog. I know how much Council member Ballard has been about restoring our canopy and this helps with that through reallocation.

• The Police CIP includes $650,000 for robotic dog equipment, and Police has indicated that approximately $325,000 has already been initiated for one unit. That leaves roughly $325,000 in remaining capital authority. I’m considering reallocating up to $50,000 for a community violence problem analysis and using the remaining approximately $275,000 for security bollards and other vehicle-protection improvements around Naftzger Park and major community events.

• Hold the $500,000 2027 design allocation for the Dr. Glen Dey Park Sports Complex until the anticipated $20 million non-City capital commitment is documented. Councilman Shepard expressed reservations about that approach, and he and I plan to sit down this week and work through it.

The base General Fund math on these amendments is currently:

$300,000 tuition savings
+$1,000,000 unallocated administrative reduction
+$400,000 efficiency target
+ savings from the two CMO fiscal positions, if those are ultimately held

After proposed one-time funding for the Mayor’s Youth Council and homeowner relief, that leaves at least $1.59 million plus any CMO position savings available to reduce the Stabilization Reserve draw.

I’m also continuing to review Library funding closely. The Library’s gross General Fund appropriation rises from about $12.8 million to $14.55 million, but roughly 97% of that increase is explained by new internal administrative charges, higher technology charges and a new contingency. Once those are separated out, the remaining year-over-year increase is only about $49,000, with staffing essentially flat. If additional capacity emerges during final budget discussions, I plan to ask where direct Library services can be strengthened without increasing the mill levy.

A lot of this work is iterative. Council-members Johnston, Hoheisel, Shepard, Ballard, Tuttle and the Mayor have each raised questions or perspectives that are shaping where the final package may land, and I expect more of that between now and Tuesday.

These are working amendments, not a final package. Seven members have to build a budget together, and that means testing ideas, making adjustments, and finding enough common ground to actually govern.

But I do think governance requires a plan. We should know what we are proposing to change, what it saves, what it costs, and what outcome we expect before we vote.

I’d be interested in your feedback before August 25.

9:00 a.m. start. Still here.We’ve worked through the budget, questions, motions, and an executive session to go, and the...
08/19/2026

9:00 a.m. start. Still here.

We’ve worked through the budget, questions, motions, and an executive session to go, and the Council Chamber is looking a little emptier than it did this morning.

The budget is the biggest vote we take all year, so I don’t mind a long day if it means doing the work, asking the questions, and making sure we get it right.

Back to it.

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