Salina Downtown Inc. is budgeted to receive $465,000 in combined 2026 support through several funding sources tied to downtown operations, programming, maintenance, security and building improvement efforts.

The figure appears in City of Salina budget materials connected to the 2026 Business Improvement District fees. The 2026 total includes $130,000 in Business Improvement District fees, $160,000 in Downtown Community Improvement District sales tax proceeds paid to SDI, $90,000 in city-funded façade grants, and $85,000 in city operational support.

The 2026 amount is higher than the prior two years listed in the city’s funding history. City documents show total SDI-related support at $413,270 in 2024 and $430,000 in 2025. The 2026 budgeted total of $465,000 represents a $35,000 increase from 2025.

The increase does not come from a higher BID fee rate. For 2026, the BID/SDI Board recommended a 0.00% increase in BID fees. Instead, the increase comes from other funding categories, including city support for operations and façade grants.

Four funding sources support downtown services

The 2026 funding package includes four primary categories.

The first is Business Improvement District fees, commonly referred to as BID fees. These are mandatory service fees charged to businesses located within the downtown Business Improvement District. The fees are established by city ordinance, billed and collected by the City of Salina, and then passed through for BID program administration.

The second is the Downtown Community Improvement District, or CID. The Downtown CID includes a 1% sales tax within the district. City materials state that a portion of those proceeds is dedicated to downtown maintenance, security and programming.

The third is the city operational supplement. This is city support approved through the budget process and used to support downtown operations.

The fourth is the façade grant program, which provides funding for exterior improvements to eligible downtown properties. The 2026 budget lists $90,000 for façade grants, compared to $60,000 in 2025.

BID fees are mandatory for covered businesses

The Business Improvement District fee is not a voluntary membership payment. It is a city-established service fee charged to businesses within the district.

The 2026 ordinance sets different fee structures depending on the area of downtown where the business is located.

For the Santa Fe District, which includes ground-floor businesses addressed on Santa Fe Avenue with frontage between Ash Street and Mulberry Street, the base fee is $317.20 per business, plus $13.52 per front foot along Santa Fe Avenue. The maximum fee is $1,885 per business.

For the Employment District, which includes businesses between Ash Street and South Street not included in the Santa Fe District, the base fee is $188.50, with additional fees based on the number of workers.

For the Hospital/Mill District, the base fee is $124.80, also with additional worker-based charges.

The ordinance also includes fee provisions for vacant buildings, vacant lots, parking lots and apartment buildings. In the Santa Fe District, vacant buildings are assessed the same service fee as if the building were occupied.

Because the BID fee is established by ordinance, unpaid fees can be pursued by the city as a debt owed. The ordinance allows the city to use civil action, small claims court, collection agencies or the state setoff program to collect unpaid fees.

City support has increased over time

City documents show SDI-related support has increased significantly over the past decade.

In 2017, total support was listed at $140,907.25. For 2026, the budgeted total is $465,000.

The funding history reflects a downtown model that now relies on several sources: mandatory district fees, CID sales tax proceeds, city operational support and city-funded façade grants.

Supporters of the structure may argue that the funding helps maintain and promote downtown, support events, improve building exteriors and protect the city’s investment in the downtown district.

At the same time, because the money includes city support, mandatory business fees, and sales tax revenue, the funding structure raises routine public accountability questions about how the money is spent and how results are measured.

Façade grants remain a visible part of the funding

The façade grant program is one of the most direct ways public support can be seen downtown because it funds exterior improvements to individual properties.

The 2026 budget includes $90,000 for façade grants. That is an increase of $30,000 from the $60,000 listed for 2025.

Salina Downtown Inc. describes the façade program as a way to encourage preservation and improvement of properties within the Business Improvement District. Eligible projects can include exterior renovation or construction work.

A full review of the program would include which properties received funding, how much each project received, whether projects were completed, and how applications were scored or approved.

Downtown programming, maintenance and security are part of the funding model

The Downtown CID funding is tied to maintenance, security, and programming within the district.

Those responsibilities can include work that is visible to the public, such as downtown events, promotion, cleanup, streetscape maintenance, and efforts to support activity in the district.

The city’s funding materials show $160,000 in CID money budgeted for SDI in 2026. That figure is the same as the 2025 budgeted amount.

Because the CID is generated by a sales tax within the district, the money is connected to downtown economic activity. That makes the performance of downtown businesses, events, and visitor traffic part of the broader funding discussion.

Key questions remain for review

The 2026 funding total gives downtown businesses, residents, and city officials a clear number to evaluate: $465,000 in budgeted support tied to Salina Downtown Inc.

The next questions are how that funding is allocated, what services are delivered, and how the city and SDI measure the return on that support.

Key areas for review include:

How much of the funding goes to administration, staffing, events, maintenance, security, marketing, and grants?  Which properties receive façade grants?  How façade grant applications are reviewed and approved.  How many businesses are delinquent on BID fees?  How SDI measures downtown foot traffic, event participation, and business impact.  Whether downtown businesses believe the required BID fees are producing value, and how CID-funded maintenance, security, and programming are documented

The 2026 budget does not show an increase in BID fee rates, but it does show a larger overall funding package for downtown services.

For Salina, the issue is not only how much money is being directed toward downtown. The larger question is how clearly that money is tracked, measured, and reported back to the businesses and residents connected to the district.