> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.citizenjournal.us/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Topeka – Week of July 6 2025 - URL: https://www.citizenjournal.us/topeka-week-of-july-6-2025/ - Published: 2025-07-06T22:05:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-05-29T23:08:13.000Z - Description: City Finances; Gas Station Plan Pushback; Metro Fares Triple; Mental Health Crisis; Hotel Chiller Repairs - Author: Greg Loving - Tags: tcj ## 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. --- ## Sponsors (click me!) 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