Press Releases

Sylvia Davis, a Deputy Director in the City’s Utilities Department was recently recognized with a national leadership award.

The honor, known as the “Women Who SPARK (WWS) Award,” is given by the Utility 2030 Collaborative (U2030). U2030 offers the awards program, which aims to close the gender gap in energy and utility innovation, by recognizing women for their innovation, leadership, and mentoring.

“Sylvia is a changemaker and leader here at the City of Topeka, and we couldn’t be more proud of her to receive this very impressive award,” said Interim City Manager Bill Cochran.

Davis was one of seven women across the country to be recognized.

List of award winners

Jody Allison, Algonquin Power & Utilities/Liberty
Maureen Bolen, Utegration
Sylvia Davis, City of Topeka, KS
Terri-Lynn Duque, ENMAX
Becky Ivester, SEMO Electric & GoSEMO Fiber
Jessica Mammel, Consumers Energy
Jessica Sutorus, City of Colton, CA

To learn more about U2030 and the WWS Awards Program, visit https://utility2030.org/page/awards.

The City of Topeka Utilities Department has implemented a new, secure, convenient, and user-friendly online payment system for our customers. The new and improved interface provides multiple benefits to customers such as paying bills faster, improved user experience, one-time payments without having to register, view and pay multiple accounts at once, as well as text-to-pay capabilities. Our new system accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and electronic checks.
“We are excited about these changes and they reflect our continued commitment to providing a superior customer service experience,” said Nicole Malott, City of Topeka Utilities, Director of Business and Customer Services. “We recognize that customers want flexibility, accessibility, convenience, and user-friendly experience without sacrificing security. We believe these new features deliver all of these things.”
Informative inserts will accompany all of our customer’s physical bills for the next 4 weeks. They contain additional information about the transition, as well as instructions on how to register with the new system. We are encouraging all of our customers to register with the new system so that they can take advantage of the many new features. To register, customers simply need to go to Topeka.org and click on the blue banner at the top of the home page. This will take them to the new payment portal where they can quickly register or make a one-time payment.
Customers should know that if they signed up online for the AutoPay function in our previous system, they will need to cancel that service once they have registered with the new system.
Any customers that have questions regarding this transition or how to register can call the City of Topeka Customer Service Call Center at (785) 368-3111.

WaterShare is a partnership between the City of Topeka, Doorstep, Let’s Help, and the Salvation Army. This program helps hundreds of Topekans avoid a water service shut-off when they are struggling and have trouble paying their water utility bill. You can help your neighbors today by donating as little as $1 each month or by simply giving a one-time donation.

The WaterShare program (previously referred to as Round Up Program) was introduced in 2000 as a means of facilitating convenient monthly charitable donations. Since its creation, the WaterShare program has helped approximately 3,000 City of Topeka Utilities customers. For those who enroll in the program, the donation amount of their choosing will appear on their monthly water bill and all funds collected are distributed to Doorstep, Let’s Help and the Salvation Army to select eligible recipients and administer all funds.  100% of donations will go directly towards helping Topekans in need.

There are three quick and easy ways to start donating.

1. Fill out the short online form at https://www.topeka.org/utilities/watershare/
2. Call 785-368-3111 and speak to one of our customer service representatives
3. Fill out and return the short form which will be included with your August statement

The City of Topeka was successful in making the winning auction bid on Wednesday to purchase Hotel Topeka at City Center for $7.6 million.

Purchase documents are still being finalized, and the sale is not final until that process is complete.

On May 30, the Governing Body authorized $8 million in bonds to purchase the hotel. The city’s intent is to bond the purchase price for the hotel, and work collaboratively with private partners and industry experts to determine how to best proceed with re-developing the property.

The City of Topeka and Kansas Gas Service are partnering together to distribute 200 free weatherization kits to help Topekans prepare their homes for winter.

The kits will be distributed by appointment only on Thursday, October 20 at City Hall, located at 215 SE 7^th St. in downtown Topeka.

“In anticipation of winter, Kansas Gas Service is proud to provide weatherization kits to our Topeka neighbors. Weatherizing your home helps you save money by saving energy, and it can also improve the comfort of your home,” said Lindsay Freeman, State Manager of Community Relations for Kansas Gas Service.

The weatherization kits are designed to reduce air leaks in homes, which is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve energy efficiency and comfort. Each kit includes:

• Two door sweeps
• Two rolls of foam weather seal
• One window kit
• One package of outlet sealers
• Energy saving tips

To schedule an appointment for a weatherization kit, please contact Monique Glaudeˊ, the City’s Director of Community Engagement at mglaude@topeka.org or 785-368-4470.

The City of Topeka and community partners will host an event on Friday to celebrate the successful first three years of the Impact Avenues program.

The event will take place on Friday, August 12, 2022 between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Holliday Building, located at 620 SE Madison Ave. At 2:30 p.m., a video will be played, highlighting successes of the program. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

Impact Avenues is a program that helps students get the resources and opportunities they need to get a quality education, and not have to worry about where they will sleep at night.

“Impact Avenues is a powerful partnership in our community dedicated to reducing student homelessness. I am very proud to be part of a program that has helped hundreds of children find permanent safe housing,” said Carrie Higgins, Senior Program Administrator for the City of Topeka. “Through collective impact and our 38 partner agencies we have been able to make a real difference, and I am excited to continue the important work we do.”

Impact Avenues Results

Backbone and partner organizations together touched the lives of Shawnee County’s students and families 3,340 times in the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 school years. During this period, 349 families with 827 children were served; 424 were students, while 333 were younger siblings. Full results are available in the Impact Avenues Three-Year Report.

A key metric for this program is the housing stability rate once families attain a permanent housing solution. 97% of families who attain a permanent housing solution through Impact Avenues remain stably housed. This extraordinary result is made possible by the full array of wraparound services and classes that build families’ ability to be self-sufficient, which is the heart of the Impact Avenues program.

If you’re interested in supporting Impact Avenues, please visit https://www.topeka.org/impact-avenues/help/ to learn more.

The City of Topeka is partnering with Shawnee County, The District Attorney’s office, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, state officials and Freedom Now USA to combat human trafficking in Topeka/ Shawnee County. A joint press conference held on April 5th, announced the partnership of these agencies in the fight against human trafficking.

Freedom Now USA, an initiative launched by the Topeka Rescue Mission, is uniting efforts to eradicate Human Trafficking in the United States. Barry Feaker, Executive Director of the Topeka Rescue Mission said, “Freedom Now USA is proud to partner with Topeka and Shawnee County leaders to win the fight against Human Trafficking in our back yard. Our nation needs a win against modern day slavery and Kansas has a rich history of not compromising on this issue. By uniting, we will eradicate Human Trafficking from our city, county and eventually our nation.”

A resolution to combat human trafficking was signed by the Topeka City Council on April 3rd. The Shawnee County Commissioners signed the same resolution on April 5th.

“The City of Topeka is proud to help out all of our partners in putting a stop to human trafficking in our community. Together we can all make a difference and help end suffering in our community,” said Topeka City Manager Brent Trout.

A Freedom Now Coalition will be formed for Topeka and Shawnee County which will create solutions to end human trafficking by identifying the unique challenges and concerns faced by our community. The coalition will work to address human trafficking on the local level while coordinating with the state and national Freedom Now initiatives.

“This joint effort is essential in helping out the men, women and children who are being abused and enslaved in human trafficking,” said Mayor Michelle De La Isla. “It is crucial that we all unite to help stop human trafficking so that people are able to live without fear of being recruited and solicited for labor or sexual servitude.”

“The Resolution presented to the Shawnee County Commission reaffirms our position that Human Trafficking will not be supported or ignored in our community. As a County we support the endeavors to end the persecution of individuals who have been forced into human trafficking,” said Shawnee County Commissioner Kevin Cook.

These agencies are partnering to eliminate human trafficking in Topeka and Shawnee County by identifying, addressing and eliminating situations that lead to or allow human trafficking to occur. To reach this goal these agencies will provide education to help identify victims and perpetrators of human trafficking, establish ways for victims to safely seek justice and be provided with access to restorative and support services, and to prosecute those individuals, businesses and systems that conduct and benefit from human trafficking.

By working together, sharing resources and creating action plans, these agencies in Topeka and Shawnee County will work to stabilize this community and decrease the vulnerability of our citizens to human traffickers. This coalition will meet once a month to discuss actionable plans with Freedom Now staff. These plans will influence policy at the city and county level. The action plans will establish a framework that allows these agencies to collaborate and share vital resources, best practices and data to help eliminate human trafficking.

For more information on the Freedom Now USA initiatives please contact Barry Feaker at the Topeka Rescue Mission (785) 354-1744.

The City of Topeka, the Department of Justice and Washburn University will be hosting a
Department of Justice Program on Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships on June 8th.

For the past several months a planning committee, made up of several diverse community members, has
been working on putting together the SPCP program. The day long program will be composed of two
large group sessions and two break-out sessions where Topekan’s can talk about their relationship
with the Topeka Police Department and issues in their community. For the morning session the small
groups will identify issues in the community. Once those issues are identified, the small groups
will be discussing solutions to the top five problems identified in the morning.

“Washburn University’s Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Department is honored to work with the
Topeka Police Department, the Department of Justice, and local community members in their efforts
to improve community and police relations,” said Dr. Ryan Alexander, the Criminal Justice and Legal
Studies Department faculty member helping to plan the event.

During the Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships program, a council will be formed from
community members who participate in the program. This SPCP council will be working together to
advise Chief Cochran and continue community conversations in Topeka.

“I am eager to get to hear from Topekan’s about their ideas and see how this diverse group can come
up with innovative solutions to Topeka’s issues,” said Topeka Police Chief Bill Cochran. “The
council formed out of this group will be a great asset to the police
department.”

The SPCP day-long event on June 8th will be invite only. Members of the planning group are inviting
influential community members who can go out into their neighborhoods and tell their friends and
neighbors about the SPCP program and continue the work and community conversation that the program
started.

Members of the planning group include:

Melissa Masoner

Major Russell Klumpp

Joe Ledbetter

Ed Collazo

Marty Hillard

Luis Estrada

P.J. Carter

Pastor Marcus Clark

Molly Hadfield

Ben Scott

The City of Topeka’s homeless initiative is getting underway this week, with the convening of the working group alongside Coach Brianna Sylver with Sylver Consulting.

In February 2023, the city hired Sylver to facilitate a team of individuals who will develop effective solutions to address homelessness in Topeka in a proactive and thoughtful way.

Who’s involved

During the August 15 City Council meeting, the Governing Body approved the working group, made up of a core and auxiliary team. The group is comprised of representatives from the City of Topeka, local residents, a previously unsheltered homeless individual, and the following organizations:

• AIM Strategies
• Compassion Strategies
• Habitat for Humanity
• Shawnee County
• Shawnee County Department of Corrections
• Shawnee County Landlords Association
• Topeka Housing Authority
• Topeka Rescue Mission Ministries
• Valeo Behavioral Health Care
• YWCA Northeast Kansas

Next steps

The group will convene first in late August and again in mid-September. During this time the group will work to understand and define the problem. Next steps will include conducting in-depth research with subject matter experts, collecting and reviewing the data, generating and testing possible solutions, and much more.

The entire process is expected to last eight months. The city expects to walk away from the process with multiple solutions to address homelessness in Topeka, including at least two that have been tested in the community. Multiple community engagement points will occur throughout the process, especially in the research phase.

“The issue of homelessness is one that is impacting all of our residents. It’s a complex issue and one that must be understood and addressed in a humane way. I’m pleased that the working group is getting underway, and I know citizens are eager to learn about next steps and to see progress. I encourage citizens to be patient and to allow the process to work. Citizens should know that the Governing Body will continue to evaluate our camping ordinances in the coming weeks separate, but related to this process,” said Topeka Mayor Michael Padilla.

How to engage during the process

In addition to the community engagement opportunities directly related to the process, residents and representatives of local businesses and organizations can engage with the working group through an email address.

Those with feedback, ideas and thoughts about how the city and partners can address homelessness are encouraged to email homelessinitiative@topeka.org. The email address will be periodically monitored, however, criminal activity and emergencies should not be reported here.

The city has also compiled some frequently asked questions related to homelessness, which can be viewed at https://www.topeka.org/housing-services/homelessness-faq/.