Press Releases

Earlier this year, Mayor Michelle De La Isla was chosen to participate alongside thirty-nine other Mayors from across the globe in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. The program offers leadership and management training to Mayors who lead cities with vision and purpose, and to two senior officials from each city who are most crucial to affecting organizational change. In addition to an intensive classroom experience, which the Mayor participated in back in July, the program works with each participating Mayor and city leader over the course of a year to foster their professional growth and the advancement of key capabilities within their city halls.

As part of the yearlong program work, the Mayor has chosen to build skills around community collaboration and has selected Momentum 2022 as her area of focus. With this, she was able to select eight additional community leaders to participate in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. These leaders, who have a key leadership role in our community and represent a sector of emphasis for Momentum 2022 will receive professional development and support, including an intensive four day training in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative classroom in New York City. This all at no expense to the City of Topeka thanks to the generosity of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

“We are thrilled and honored to work with Bloomberg-Harvard,” said Michelle De La Isla, Mayor of Topeka. “We believe that our community leaders engaged in the implementation of Momentum 2022 will learn skills and bring back solutions through their educational experience with Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. The training these leaders will receive will grow their knowledge, skills and abilities, thus, empowering them to not only effect the goals our community is seeking to achieve through Momentum 2022, but to challenge and execute in other areas that benefit our community. One can never underestimate the gift of education. Thanks to Bloomberg Harvard we are building a very special capacity in our city. ”

Representing Topeka are:
Leading the Momentum 2022 Strategic Plan – Kayla Bitler, Sr. VP Momentum 2022

Representing the Develop Home Grown Talent Pillar – Dr. Julianne Mazacheck, Washburn University Dean of Academic Affairs

Representing the Creating Vibrant and Attractive Places Pillar – Keith Warta – CEO Bartlett and West and Tri Chair of Momentum 2022

Representing the Growing a Diverse Economy Pillar – Matt Pivarnik, CEO of the Greater Topeka Partnership

Representing the Promote a Positive Image Pillar – Mike Padilla – Councilman District 5 and member of the Engagement Committee

Representing the Collaborate for a Strong Community Pillar – Marsha Pope, CEO of the Topeka Community Foundation and Shanae Holman, Executive Director of Topeka JUMP

Representing the East Topeka Council – TD Hicks, Pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church

“We’re grateful to the leaders in our community who have agreed to give their time to participating in this program,” said Matt Pivarnik, President & CEO, Greater Topeka Partnership. “Specifically, I’d like to thank Mayor Michelle De La Isla for her leadership on initiatives that will be transformational for our community. Her selection of such a diverse and willing team will ensure maximum gains from this program.”

Representatives from the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative met with the team in Topeka on Tuesday, November 20 to kick-off the work. The program will officially begin in January of 2019.

The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative today announced the sixth class of 40 mayors from around the world who will participate in the yearlong education and professional development program. The program is designed to equip mayors with the leadership and management tools to tackle complex challenges in their cities and improve the quality of life of their residents. The private sector invests more than $42 billion each year in executive development but there is no equivalent in the public sector. The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative aims to close this gap to help mayors excel.

To kick off the program, the mayors joined Harvard faculty and renowned management experts in New York City this week for a four-day, immersive classroom experience and convening. Two senior leaders from each of the cities will also participate in the program and begin their classroom experience in August.

The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative’s sixth class of mayors represents a diverse range of geographies and experiences:

• More than half of the mayors identify as people of color (21), including 14 Black mayors
• 70 percent (28) are from the United States; 30 percent (12) are from international cities
• 3 mayors are from Africa and 8 are from Europe
• 18 percent of the mayors (7) are from cities with populations over 1 million people
• 43 percent (17) of the mayors are from cities with populations between 200,000 and 1 million people, and 40 percent (16) are from cities with less than 200,000

“This class brings together a diverse and dynamic group of mayors from across the globe, and we’re glad to welcome them to New York City to kick off the sixth year of the program,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, three-term mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies. “With all the urgent shared challenges facing cities, the opportunity for mayors to exchange ideas and learn from one another and experts is more important than ever. We’re looking forward to working with them throughout the year, and to seeing the results in their cities.”

The flagship program of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, the Initiative is a collaboration between Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Business School that aims to provide a world-class learning experience for mayors and their senior leaders to help equip them with the tools and expertise to effectively govern cities. Harvard faculty, staff, and students, alongside experts from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ global network of experts, work with the mayors and senior officials over the course of one year in the classroom, online, and in the field to foster professional growth and advance the necessary capabilities to drive innovation and deliver results for
residents. Since its launch in 2017, the Initiative has built an alumni network of nearly 200 global mayors from 24 countries.

Members of the sixth class of mayors to participate in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative are:

Matt Tuerk (Allentown, Pennsylvania); Brian Kulpa (Amherst, New York); Andre Dickens (Atlanta, Georgia); Rohey Malick Lowe (Banjul, The Gambia); Lacey Beaty (Beaverton, Oregon); Lauren McLean (Boise, Idaho); Michelle Wu (Boston, Massachusetts); Aftab Pureval (Cincinnati, Ohio); Justin Bibb (Cleveland, Ohio); Daniel Rickenmann (Columbia, South Carolina); Emma Sharif (Compton, California); Jeffrey Mims (Dayton, Ohio); Abdullah Hammoud (Dearborn, Michigan); Elaine O’Neal (Durham, North Carolina); Joe Schember (Erie, Pennsylvania); Susan Aitken (Glasgow, Scotland); Juhana Vartiainen (Helsinki, Finland); Tyrone Garner (Kansas City, Kansas); Pudence Rubingisa (Kigali, Rwanda); Chilando Chitangala (Lusaka, Zambia); Cavalier Johnson (Milwaukee, Wisconsin); Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas (Monterrey, Mexico); Jon Mitchell (New Bedford, Massachusetts); Ed Gainey (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania); Malik Evans (Rochester, New York); Darrell Steinberg (Sacramento, California); Todd Gloria (San Diego, California); Benjamina Karić (Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina); Danela Arsovska (Skopje, North Macedonia); Oliver Coppard (South Yorkshire, United Kingdom); Caroline Simmons (Stamford, Connecticut); Kenneth Welch (St. Petersburg, Florida); Larry Klein (Sunnyvale, California); Wade Kapszukiewicz (Toledo, Ohio); Mike Padilla (Topeka, Kansas); Minna Arve (Turku, Finland); Anne McEnerny-Ogle (Vancouver, Washington); Quentin Hart (Waterloo, Iowa); Dan Norris (West of England, United Kingdom); and Tracy Brabin (West Yorkshire, United Kingdom).

In a formal impact assessment, mayors who were members of prior classes of the program reported that the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative has helped them increase leadership and management capacity in their cities. Nearly 90 percent of mayors demonstrate measurable improvement in their leadership capabilities as a result of the program.

“Through its City Leadership Initiative, the Bloomberg Center for Cities draws on the expertise of our faculty to strengthen and expand the capabilities of mayors whose work shapes the lives of millions of people,” said Harvard President Larry Bacow. “We are pleased to welcome the sixth class of mayors to Harvard and this cornerstone program, which is generously supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. We look forward to everything they and their colleagues will accomplish together, both in the classroom and in their cities.”

About The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative

The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative–the flagship program of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University–is a collaboration between Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, and Bloomberg Philanthropies to equip mayors and senior city officials to tackle complex challenges in their cities and improve the quality of life of their residents. Launched in 2017, the Initiative has worked with 428 mayors and 1400 senior city officials in 494 cities worldwide. The Initiative has also advanced research and developed new curriculum and teaching tools to help city leaders solve real-world problems. For more information, please visit the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative or visit us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Bloomberg Philanthropies

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 941 cities and 173 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2021, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.66 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Media Contacts:

Courtney Greenwald, Courtney@bloomberg.org
Maria Daniels, maria_daniels@harvard.edu

The City of Topeka and JEO Consulting Group (JEO) will host two virtual public meetings to discuss proposed updates to the Metropolitan Topeka Planning Organization’s (MTPO) Futures 2045 plan. The first meeting will take place Monday, Oct. 4 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with the second option taking place on Thursday, Oct. 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Both meetings will be hosted via Zoom.

During the meeting, attendees will learn about the plan’s history, a project overview and schedule, expectations, as well as provide feedback on the current transportation system in the Topeka region. To register for the meeting and learn more about the Futures 2045 plan, visit the project website at . A recording of the meeting will be available for those unable to attend.

In addition to the public meeting, the City of Topeka launched a public survey that allows residents to provide input on the current transportation system. The survey is separated into two parts ‒ a questionnaire and a comment map, both of which can be found on the project website under the “Public Comment” section.

The Futures 2045 update is a continuation of the Futures 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan and will expand on the evolution of the plan’s goals and objectives, with a focus on active transportation projects and preservation of existing systems. The goals of the plan update include maintaining existing infrastructure, improve mobility and access, increase safety for all modes of transportation, enhance quality of life, and promote economic development.

For more information on the Futures 2045 update, visit https://arcg.is/0jHOqX1. To learn more about MTPO, visit https://topekampo.org/.

 

 

The City of Topeka has appointed Monique Glaudeˊ to the newly created Ombudsman position, while also continuing to serve as the Director of Community Engagement. The Ombudsman will serve as an independent and impartial office where citizens can get help with city services and report their issues with city government. The Ombudsman’s office will allow citizen’s to find answers, ask a question, or submit a SeeClickFix service request. The City of Topeka Ombudsman’s office will provide every effort to respond quickly, succinctly, accurately, and in a friendly manner to citizen requests, inquiries for answers to questions, internal information about policies, practices, and procedures and provide citizens with the capabilities to perform business. Inquiries will be provided to constituents within 3 business days.

“Navigating local government can be tricky for those who don’t know where to start, I’m excited to help our neighbors in the City of Topeka with any issues or concerns that they have,” said Monique Glaudeˊ, Ombudsman for the City of Topeka. “The Ombudsman office will be an essential tool to helping our community have a partner to guide them through city government and any problems that they’re facing.”

The Ombudsman’s office should be the first point of contact for constituents. The goal of the Ombudsman’s office is to foster closer, more effective, and efficient working relationships, to better anticipate and meet citizen needs, and to develop a more detailed working understanding of what citizens want, expect, and need from those who serve them. The Ombudsman’s Office provides many benefits to the public including:

• Enables citizens the opportunity to voice their concerns and make inquiries.

• Accept, track, and manage service requests.
• Record all action taken on each service request.
• Investigate a complaint against a city department, official or employee of the City of Topeka, independently and impartially, and on a confidential manner, to the extent possible as provided by law.
• Work with a department to resolve a problem when an investigation shows that the department has acted contrary to law, unreasonably or unfairly, or has made a mistake.
• Make recommendations to departments for administrative or policy changes, when appropriate.
• Answer questions relating the City government or refer the person to a suitable agency or entity for answers.

The public can contact the Ombudsman’s office at ombudsman@topeka.org or by calling (785) 368-3947. The Ombudsman’s office is located at the Holliday Building, but will eventually move to City Hall.

 

The City of Topeka will be extending the moratorium on water shut-offs until May 15^th. Customers must work in conjunction with the Utilities Department to develop a payment plan five days prior to their payment due date.

City Express at 620 SE Madison will remain temporarily closed. The Customer Service Call Center is open between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is available to work with customers to help keep their balances due manageable during this time. Customers who need to pay their water bill in cash can do so at authorized US Bank locations at the drive through window. Bills can also be paid by phone at 785-368-3111 or online at www.topeka.org/payonline.

US BANK LOCATIONS IN TOPEKA

Fleming Place 1017 SW Gage Blvd Wanamaker 1064 SW Wanamaker Rd. White Lakes 3600 SW Topeka Blvd. Pioneer Square 3625 NW 46th St. 5th & Jackson 434 SW Jackson St. 21st Street 5730 SW 21st St.

Please note that payments made through unauthorized locations may require a fee and take longer to process.

Doorstep, Let’s Help, the Salvation Army and the City of Topeka created the Water Share Program to assist citizens in need with their COT water utility bill. Please contact one of the agencies directly to request assistance.

• Doorstep 785-357-5341
• Let’s Help 785-234-6208
• Salvation Army 785-233-9648

The Utilities Refund Program (Franchise Fee Program) also offers assistance for utility bills. Please contact the Community Resources Council to apply 785-233-1365 after the program resumes taking applications on May 4th. For citizens looking for a way to help, you may go to www.topeka.org/utilities/watershare or call 785-368-3111. Donations may be set up as reoccurring monthly or you may select to make a one-time donation. The donation amount will be added to your next City of Topeka water bill.

The City of Topeka will be extending the moratorium on water shut-offs until May 31st. Customers must work in conjunction with the Utilities Department to develop a payment plan five days prior to their payment due date.
City Express at 620 SE Madison will remain temporarily closed. The Customer Service Call Center is open between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is available to work with customers to help keep their balances due manageable during this time. Customers who need to pay their water bill in cash can do so at authorized US Bank locations at the drive through window. Bills can also be paid by phone at 785-368-3111 or online at www.topeka.org/payonline.
US BANK LOCATIONS IN TOPEKA
Fleming Place 1017 SW Gage Blvd Wanamaker 1064 SW Wanamaker Rd. White Lakes 3600 SW Topeka Blvd. Pioneer Square 3625 NW 46th St. 5th & Jackson 434 SW Jackson St. 21st Street 5730 SW 21st St.
Please note that payments made through unauthorized locations may require a fee and take longer to process.
Doorstep, Let’s Help, the Salvation Army and the City of Topeka created the Water Share Program to assist citizens in need with their COT water utility bill. Please contact one of the agencies directly to request assistance.

• Doorstep 785-357-5341
• Let’s Help 785-234-6208
• Salvation Army 785-233-9648
The Utilities Refund Program (Franchise Fee Program) also offers assistance for utility bills. Please contact the Community Resources Council to apply 785-233-1365 after the program resumes taking applications on May 4th. For citizens looking for a way to help, you may go to www.topeka.org/utilities/watershare or call 785-368-3111. Donations may be set up as reoccurring monthly or you may select to make a one-time donation. The donation amount will be added to your next City of Topeka water bill.

More than 1,100 area fourth graders, their teachers and parents and more than 100 volunteers are registered to attend the 19th Annual Make A Splash Topeka Water Festival at Garfield Park and Community Center Thursday, Sept. 20. This event runs from 9:30 a.m. until 2:05 p.m.
The festival, “Make a Splash Topeka Water Festival,” is part of a program in which festivals are scheduled annually in hundreds of locations around Kansas, the United States and internationally.
Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) is an international, interdisciplinary, water science education program for formal and non-formal educators of K-12 students. The activities are correlated to the state standards and support what students are learning in school. The Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE), in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, sponsor Project WET in Kansas.
“Water touches nearly every aspect of our lives. We use water to drink, brush our teeth, wash, cook, clean, grow food, produce energy and more. We depend on water not only to live, but for nearly everything we do. That makes conserving and preserving this vital natural resource essential,” said Laura Downey, KACEE Executive Director. “We designed this event for fourth graders, because water is a topic that is often covered by teachers at this grade and this event supports students’ understandings of this amazing resource. Through the hard work of our many volunteers, the 1,100 fourth graders will participate in hands-on education activity stations and learn about a variety of water topics. Stations will teach students about how water gets from the river to their taps, how we can save water, how we can make sure water is clean and healthy for living things and even how to be safe when recreating on the water, to name just a few. By the end of this fun day, students have a better understanding of how important water is to our lives and what they can do to be good stewards of this shared resource.”
The event is offered free of charge to those who register in advance. Many classes are provided financial assistance with transportation costs.
Sponsors of the Topeka Water Festival include the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE); Office of Utilities and Transportation, City of Topeka Public Works; Shawnee County Conservation District; Shawnee County Farm Bureau; Upper Wakarusa WRAPS and Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams; Westar Energy Green Team; Goodyear Tire & Rubber;Jackson County Conservation District; Pottawatomie County Conservation District; Scott Holloman, CPA, LLC; Franklin County Conservation District. Supporters include Arab Shrine Provost Guard Unit; Garfield Community Center and Park; The Salvation Army; Shawnee County Parks and Recreation; Kansas Department of Health & Environment/Bureau of Water, Watershed Mgt. Section; Kansas Water Office.
For information on KACEE programs, individuals may contact Laura Downey, KACEE Executive Director, at 785-532-3322. For more information about the water festival, contact Molly Hadfield at 785-368-0991 or Laura Downey at 785-532-3322.

The Topeka Municipal Court will close at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday August 27th due to an employee testing positive for COVID-19. The Municipal Court will be fully closed August 27th and 28th for a deep cleaning. All court dockets will be cancelled from August 27th through September 7th. Persons scheduled to appear during this timeframe will be mailed a notice of hearing for another court date at least thirty days out. Please note that court dates can be verified and payments can be made via the court’s online public access portal at www.topeka.org/municpalcourt.com. The court will be open in a limited capacity the week of August 31st to September 4th for defendants to recall arrest warrants, reset payment plans, set up different payment options, and file documents.
The Municipal Court will reopen fully on Tuesday, September 8th. The public can contact the

Due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in our community, and in an effort to reduce community transmission, the Topeka Municipal Court is cancelling all dockets, including trials, from Wednesday, November 18, 2020 through Friday, December 4, 2020.  During that time, the Court will continue to conduct its jail hearings via video conferencing on Mondays and Wednesdays.

All cases during that time will be rescheduled and notices of hearing will be sent by mail to defendants and defense counsel.  Defendants should call the Court Clerk’s office at 785-368-3776 to update contact information during normal business hours. Defendants are also encouraged to check the status of their case on the Court’s online public access portal at https://www.topeka.org/municipalcourt/ .

The Topeka Municipal Court will remain open for walk-in business Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:30 p.m.  However, persons with court business are strongly encouraged to conduct their business by telephone, email, or facsimile wherever possible.  Payments may be made online, over the phone, or by mail.

Clerk’s Office: 785-368-3776

Clerk’s Office Fax: 785-368-3782

Email: Motions@topeka.org (MOTIONS ONLY)

Mail: 214 SE 8th Avenue, Topeka, Kansas 66603

Anyone directed to report to the Probation Division should continue to report as scheduled.  Probationers who are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 of other related illnesses should contact the Probation Division at 785-368-3783.

The Municipal Court will reevaluate the presence of COVID-19 in the community during the week of December 1, 2020 and make a decision as to whether dockets will resume on Monday, December 7, 2020.

As previously stated, the Topeka Municipal Court remains open Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:30 p.m. As part of our continual assessment on how to respond to the ongoing changes in the health of the community and Courthouse employees, additional measures are being implemented to protect the health of those who visit the Courthouse or Probation Division, effective March 17, 2020. All previous restrictions remain in place.
1. All dockets and pre-sentence investigation appointments are canceled through March 27, 2020. All cases will be rescheduled and notices of hearing will be sent by mail to defendants and defense counsel. Defendants should call the Court Clerk’s office at 785-368-3776 to update contact information during normal business hours. Defendants are also encouraged to check the status of their case on public access at: https://court.topeka.org/fullcourtweb/start.do
2. Anyone directed to report to the Probation Division should report by telephone, and NOT report to the Probation Division in person. Probationers shall contact their probation officer at the following numbers at their scheduled appointment time:
Tricia Wiebe: 785-368-0332
Lacie Wiggins: 785-368-3669
Probationers who are uncertain of their probation officer should contact the Probation Division at 785-368-3783.
3. Persons with court business are strongly encouraged to conduct their business by telephone, email, or facsimile wherever possible. Payments may be made online, over the phone, or by mail.
Clerk’s Office: 785-368-3776
Clerk’s Office Fax: 785-368-3782
Email: Motions@topeka.org (MOTIONS ONLY)
Mail: 214 SE 8th Avenue, Topeka, Kansas 66603
Your cooperation is appreciated, and we hope that these temporary measures will help safeguard your health and the health of the community. We will continue to evaluate additional measures in the coming weeks. Please contact the court at 785-368-3776 with any concerns.