City projects budget deficits exceeding $13 million by 2028

Council considers $43 million cut to capital improvement plan

Residents plead to retain school resource officers amid budget hearing

Fire department pitches $24 million to $36 million station relocation plan

Citizen commission to be formed to review fire station relocations

Council approves four-year utility rate increases

Public portal for smart water meters slated for year-end launch

City projects budget deficits exceeding $13 million by 2028

TOPEKA, Kan. - City manager Robert Perez warned the governing body that the city's five-year financial forecast projects a $13.3 million budget deficit in 2028, growing to $17.4 million by 2029. As the city council prepares to adopt the 2027 operating budget next week, Perez noted that the city has already eliminated 17 vacant positions and frozen 32 others, saving approximately $5.1 million in the upcoming fiscal year. Council members are currently weighing operating expense cuts and exploring potential sales tax initiatives to stabilize the city's long-term financial outlook without excessively raising property taxes.

Council considers $43 million cut to capital improvement plan

TOPEKA, Kan. - In an effort to shift the city away from debt-financed projects, a council member proposed an amendment to cut roughly $43 million from the city's capital improvement plan. The proposal would remove funding for the newly proposed fire stations, a heavy-duty fleet garage and several sidewalk projects from the general obligation bond bracket, shifting the city toward a cash-based capital budget. It was suggested that the fire stations could instead be funded through a dedicated one-tenth-of-a-cent sales tax ballot initiative. The council will debate the amendment and vote on the final adoption of the 2027 budget at its next meeting on Sept. 15.

Residents plead to retain school resource officers amid budget hearing

TOPEKA, Kan. - During the statutorily required public hearing for the city's 2027 operating budget, a wave of Topeka Public Schools (USD 501) students, parents and administrators pleaded with the council to retain the Topeka Police Department (TPD) school resource officer (SRO) program. The city previously announced it would end the partnership—which currently places sworn TPD officers in schools—when the contract expires in June, citing operational and staffing challenges. USD 501 superintendent Tiffany Anderson noted the district offered an additional $150,000 to keep the officers, but city officials indicated the offer was declined due to ongoing operational and staffing challenges. Council members expressed a desire to continue negotiations with the district before the contract lapses next summer.

Fire department pitches $24 million to $36 million station relocation plan

TOPEKA, Kan. - Fire chief Chad Longstaff presented a three-phase, $24 million to $36 million fire station relocation plan designed to increase the city's four-minute emergency response coverage. The proposal includes building a new Station 13 at 6th Street and Governor's Place, building a new Station 11 at Lyman Road and NW Topeka Boulevard and relocating Station 6 to the Billard Airport area. According to Longstaff, the strategic relocations would increase the number of households covered within a four-minute response time from 75 percent to 82 percent. Once relocated, the city plans to repurpose the old stations for police operations, fire investigation units and apparatus overflow.

Citizen commission to be formed to review fire station relocations

TOPEKA, Kan. - Following the presentation of the fire department's relocation plan, it was announced that a citizen review commission will be formed to evaluate the proposal. Several council members raised concerns about whether the new station locations adequately address population density, particularly in the rapidly growing southwest and northwest quadrants of the city. Residents from each district will be appointed to serve on the commission. The group will use the fire department's current layout as a baseline, with the goal of returning recommendations to the governing body by early 2027 before the city formally commits to construction or ballot initiatives.

Council approves four-year utility rate increases

TOPEKA, Kan. - The Topeka City Council voted 8-2 to approve a four-year utility rate increase spanning 2027 through 2030. The new rate structure eliminates the "readiness to serve" base charge for properties without active water service, a frequent point of frustration for residents. To fund ongoing infrastructure replacements and offset the removal of the base fee, the city will incrementally raise consumption charges across all customer classes. City staff noted that commercial and industrial users will see phased-in increases over the next four years to prevent abrupt billing spikes. Two council members cast dissenting votes, with a thorough financial review of the utilities department cited as a need before approving further rate hikes.

Public portal for smart water meters slated for year-end launch

TOPEKA, Kan. - A public portal for the city's $12 million advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system is expected to launch by the end of the year, according to director of utilities Sylvia Davis. The smart meter system, which is currently 98 percent installed across the city, reads water usage every 15 minutes. Once the portal is live, residents will be able to log in, track their historical water consumption and set up alerts for continuous usage that could indicate a plumbing leak. Davis noted that city staff are already using the system to proactively contact residents who show continuous water usage.

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