Topeka – Week of July 6 2025
City Finances; Gas Station Plan Pushback; Metro Fares Triple; Mental Health Crisis; Hotel Chiller Repairs
City Finances Healthier Than Budgeted, Reducing Need for Reserve Funds
Maverik Gas Station Plan Sent Back to Planners After Public Pushback
Topeka Metro's On-Demand Service Sees Fare Triple, Service Area Shrink
Shawnee County's Mental Health System Faces Workforce and Capacity Crisis
Split Vote on Funding for City-Owned Hotel Chiller Repairs
City Finances Healthier Than Budgeted, Reducing Need for Reserve Funds
Topeka's general fund is in a stronger position than anticipated, with mid-year projections showing the city will need to draw less from its savings than originally budgeted for 2025. Finance officials reported that while the budget assumed a $10.6 million transfer from the unassigned reserve fund, current projections indicate only about $8.5 million will be needed. This is primarily due to higher-than-expected revenue from sales tax and franchise fees. The improved financial outlook provides the city with more flexibility heading into the 2026 budget process.
Maverik Gas Station Plan Sent Back to Planners After Public Pushback
The Topeka City Council voted 8-2 to remand a controversial development plan for a Maverik gas station back to the Planning Commission after significant debate and the filing of a valid protest petition by local residents. The project, proposed for 605 SW Fairlawn, would include a 5,982-square-foot convenience store, fueling islands for 10 cars and five semi-trucks, and a truck scale. Council members noted receiving an overwhelming number of emails and calls against the project, with many citing concerns over traffic near a school, neighborhood character, and public safety. Due to the protest petition, the issue required a supermajority vote to pass. The Planning Commission is now instructed to conduct further public engagement and re-evaluate the project's impact on traffic and safety before it returns to the council.
Topeka Metro's On-Demand Service Sees Fare Triple, Service Area Shrink
Topeka Metro is making significant changes to its "MOD" on-demand microtransit service to combat high operating costs, which have reached over $50 per trip. The Topeka Metro board voted to shrink the service area from seven square miles to four, focusing on the zones with the most activity. In a move to make the service more financially sustainable, the base fare for a one-way ride will triple, increasing from $2 to $6 and trips to the 29th-&-Croco Walmart will have a $15 premium added. Officials noted that the MOD service is an additional layer of transportation on top of existing fixed-route bus lines in the area, which are not affected by the fare change. The changes take effect later this summer as part of a three-year micro-transit experiment.
Shawnee County's Mental Health System Faces Workforce and Capacity Crisis
Shawnee County’s mental-health system, once a national leader with over a thousand inpatient beds at facilities like the Menninger Clinic and Topeka State Hospital, now has only 20 to 30 beds and faces a significant workforce shortage. During a presentation to the commission, Kyle Kessler of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas highlighted that the state-run Osawatomie State Hospital currently has a waiting list of over 30 individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others. To address these challenges locally, leaders pointed to innovative solutions such as crisis-recovery centers and the new mental-health facility being built at the county jail. It was also announced that Valeo Behavioral Health Care and Family Service & Guidance Center, the county’s two largest providers, are exploring a merger to better serve the community.
At the same meeting, the County Commission authorized a payment of $1,417,534.23 to KBS Constructors Inc. for a monthly progress payment on the mental-health facility being built at the county jail. The work is part of the state-funded portion of the new facility being constructed at the county jail. This investment comes as local leaders grapple with a lack of inpatient beds and seek innovative ways to provide mental health treatment, with the Sheriff's Office at times being called the largest mental health facility in the state.
Split Vote on Funding for City-Owned Hotel Chiller Repairs
The City Council approved funding for repairs to an aging air conditioning unit at the city-owned Hotel Topeka at City Center, but the decision came on a split vote of 7-3. The resolution authorizes $34,216.74 from the Unassigned Reserve Fund for minimal repairs to the 30-year-old York chiller unit, which serves as a backup for the facility. To fund the repair, the council rescinded a previously approved resolution that had allocated $125,000 for site repairs at the hotel, effectively returning over $90,000 to the reserve fund. The vote was among the few non-unanimous decisions of the evening, with Councilmembers Valdivia-Alcalá, Ortiz, and Banks voting no.
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