City Budget

Mayor TenHaken will present the proposed 2026 Budget to City Council on Thursday, July 24, at 3 p.m. at Carnegie Town Hall. The presentation is open to the public and will be streamed live at siouxfalls.gov/live.

Department presentations to City Council will occur weekly throughout the month of August starting on Wednesday, August 6, until the first reading of the budget on Tuesday, September 2. The full presentation schedule will be posted here once available.

2025 Budget

A balanced approach to strategic growth.

Creating our annual budget starts by estimating the revenue we’ll generate from taxes, fees, grants, and other sources. Next, we anticipate financial needs to achieve city goals, meet infrastructure needs, and enhance our community. Finally, city officials (the Mayor, City Council, Finance, and department leaders) collaborate to develop and approve the budget.

The City budget is divided into three types of expenses:

  • Operating expenses are the day-to-day expenses necessary to keep services running smoothly. The 2025 budget for the City's primary operating fund, the General Fund, is $248.6 million. This fund provides the essential operating services of the City, including fire and police, highways and streets, parks and recreation, public health, and public libraries.
  • Capital expenses are the large investments focusing on replacement, rehabilitation, and expansion of infrastructure and equipment. Capital expenses are detailed in the capital program.
  • Internal service expenses are used to account for and fund employee benefits, insurance, City-wide fleet, centralized building management, and hardware/software technology.

Grounded in the 1SF framework, the Mayor’s 2025 budget balances strategic growth, protecting what we’ve built, maintaining essential services, and ensuring the City of Sioux Falls continues to be a place people want to live, work, play, and visit.

2025 Budget Breakdown

Operating expenses $357.2 million, capital expenses $287.5 million, internal service $128.2 million

This year's budget prioritizes maintaining the essential services residents rely on every day, while laying the groundwork for transformational initiatives. While we haven't proposed an overall budget increase, this approach ensures we can continue to effectively serve our growing community.

  • Public Safety & Infrastructure: As usual, more than 70 percent of our operating and capital expenses are invested in public safety and infrastructure, including:
    • More than 680 blocks of neighborhood street reconstruction.
    • Safer, more efficient traffic in areas like Arrowhead Parkway.
    • The addition of seven new police officers.
  • Maintaining Essential Services: We are budgeting for 28 full-time employees, a proposed $2.8-million investment including:
    • One team member to support housing initiatives.
    • Ten team members to operationalize our investments at Jacobson Plaza and indoor recreation.
    • A new librarian to support the Oak View branch.
  • Transformational Projects: As a community, we know Sioux Falls’ wants and needs more public indoor rec space. This budget helps move us toward that vision in a few ways:
    • Aquisition of land near 10th Street and Cliff Avenue to plan for a larger, more modern Convention Center.
    • Reimagine the existing convention center into flexible public indoor recreation space.
    • Budgeting for a future aquatics and recreation needs.

About the Budget

The City budget is comprised of an annual budget and a 5-year Capital Program.

The first step in creating a budget and ensuring a thriving community starts with a vision and is achieved through balanced and responsible budgeting. The second step is to understand the financial needs for not only today but looking ahead to achieve City goals. The annual budget and capital program balances maintaining services while building new critical investments that shape our City.

The annual City budget outlines projected City revenue, as well as planned expenses.

Creating our annual budget starts by estimating the revenue we’ll generate from taxes, fees, grants, and other sources. Next, we anticipate financial needs to achieve city goals, meet infrastructure needs, and enhance our community. Finally, city officials (the Mayor, City Council, Finance, and department leaders) collaborate to develop and approve the budget.

We budget for people, essential services, major projects, and equipment.

Our budget defines priorities for various city departments, programs, and initiatives. These priorities cover a variety of expenses, including:

  • Operating: Essential services like firefighters and police officers or snow removal are budgeted through the General Fund.
  • Capital: From land for a future fire station to new street sweepers, our five-year capital plan cares for existing assets and plans for new ones.

We maintain public access to budgets for the past 5 years.

Approved budgets are official City records. Any reports older than 5 years are archived and available by request. Anyone can request a historical report from the Finance Department.

Past Budget Documents

Back to top