Press Releases

Mayor De La Isla’s Project Puerto Rico initiative with Boys & Girls Club of Topeka yielded four bundles of school supplies, a total of $400 dollars in cash donations to be sent to students in Puerto Rico.

“I am so glad that the community was able to show up for the children in Puerto Rico and provide them with access to supplies that they will need for their education,” said Mayor Michelle De La Isla. “I want to thank Boys & Girls Club of Topeka for collecting the donations and helping with this initiative to help students learn after suffering through the effects of Hurricane Maria.”
Boys & Girls Clubs reach 4 million youth in 4,300 Club sites across the nation. Boys & Girls Clubs in Puerto Rico have 13 Clubs and annually serve 15,000 children between the ages of 6-18 years old every year. 9 out of 10 of those children reside in poverty.

“Boys & Girls Clubs work collectively to impact kids who need us most and when tragedy hits any Club area we respond from boots on the ground, resources and the support necessary to keep those Club sites available for those kids who need us most,” said Dawn McWilliams, Chief Executive Officer for Boys & Girls Club of Topeka. “We were honored to be selected by Mayor De La Isla to assist her in leading a local effort to get needed supplies into the hands of Club kids in Puerto Rico. A priority outcome area for Boys & Girls Clubs is good character & citizenship – guiding our Club kids to be engaged citizens and making a difference in the lives of others.”

Club kids and their families collected $50 and four boxes of miscellaneous school supplies. Mayor De La Isla is in contact with a Puerto Rican state representative to arrange an appropriate destination for the supplies at a Boys & Girls Club in Puerto Rico.

The City of Topeka Finance Department has released the preliminary 2020 budget on the City of Topeka website. The 2020 budget will be $292.6 million and will be the sixth consecutive budget proposal that has not included a mill levy increase. The FY20 Proposed Budget continues to support the budget priorities that were established by the Governing Body – investing in infrastructure, continuing commitment to public safety, continuing a commitment to developing neighborhoods, selected strategic investment toward quality of life and improving fiscal sustainability.
The General Fund budget is $96.5 million, a 1.9% increase. To balance the General Fund and maintain current service levels without raising the mill levy, the FY20 Proposed Budget includes a mix of revenue enhancements and expenditure cuts. The FY20 Proposed Budget shifts mills from tax levied funds (Debt Service and Special Liability) to the General Fund, but maintains a flat overall mill levy. The FY20 Proposed Budget includes reductions to General Fund department operating budgets of $1.0 million. This includes the elimination of three vacant positions in the Executive, Administrative and Financial Services, and Public Works departments. The preliminary 2020 budget can be viewed on the City of Topeka website, with the City Manager’s transmittal letter beginning on page 7: https://www.topeka.org/finance/budget/
Budget Highlights:
• Personnel related expenses represent the largest portion of the General Fund at $76.1 million, or 79% of total expenditures. Personnel costs, including wages and benefits, increase $1.9 million, or 2.5%, over the 2019 Adopted Budget, and include finalized union contracts along with assumptions regarding negotiations in progress. Non-union, management and executive staff wages increase 1%, or $150,000.
• Property and sales tax collectively make up 61% of the General Fund’s revenue, 29% and 32% respectively.
• Property tax is budgeted to modestly increase over the FY19 Adopted Budget by $640,000, as mills have been shifted from the special liability and debt service funds. Sales tax is economically sensitive and City collections have alternated annually between growth and modest decline over the last five years.
• General Fund departments were asked to identify budget reduction options totaling 3% (approximately $2.8 million) of their overall budget. Based on discussions with department heads, questions regarding sustainability and how the cuts impact operations were thoroughly explored, approximately $1.0 million has been incorporated into the FY20 Proposed Budget.
• The Topeka Police Department has increased personnel services by $515,000, and will be decreasing overtime expenditures for FY20.

On Monday, December 3rd at noon, the Topeka Zoo will host a meeting to share updates about the storm water management project getting under way in Gage Park. When completed, Gage Park will benefit from a planted drainage swale and detention pond that will manage and clean storm water that flows through a portion of the park. The project will essentially develop two new ecosystems in the park benefiting native wildlife and presenting educational opportunities.
The project will change how areas along Zoo Parkway look. During the installation of the storm water management system, approximately 30 trees will be removed. They will be replaced by a more diverse variety as the project concludes next spring. Some of the oaks that are at the end of their life span will be used to make benches. Other trees will be recycled back into the park in different means.
“When we held the last public meeting about this project back in September, it was hard to understand the scope of the project just looking at a piece of paper,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “With areas in the park now marked, we want to provide another opportunity for the community to ask questions.”
The meeting will be held on Monday, December 3rd at noon in the Gary K. Clarke Living Classroom at the zoo.

The Metropolitan Topeka Planning Organization (MTPO), in coordination with the City of Topeka and
Shawnee County, is developing a transportation safety plan focused on local roadways (city streets
and county roads) to set priorities toward the goal of reducing serious injury and fatal crashes.
An open house will be held to provide information about the study and to give the public a chance
to share their ideas about issues concerning transportation safety in the Topeka/Shawnee County
area. The open house will be held:

Tuesday, July 31, 2018
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Holliday Conference Room at City of Topeka Office Building 620 SE Madison Street
I-70 at Exit 362B (East and West) Topeka, KS 66607

Between 2010 and 2016, there were 23,591 crashes on city streets and county roads in Topeka/Shawnee
County resulting in 5,545 injuries and 68 fatalities. This equates to an average cost to society of
$193 million dollars in lost wages, vehicle repairs, hospital bills and other unintended expenses
in Topeka/Shawnee County each year.

Public input is needed early in the project to gain an understanding of transportation users’
(drivers, riders, pedestrians and bicyclists) priorities related to transportation safety in
Topeka/Shawnee County. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
research (2008), “human error” accounts for between 85% and 95% of the critical reason why crashes
occur.

Members of the transportation safety plan team will be on hand with displays to answer questions
and to discuss transportation safety issues with the public. A formal presentation

will be given shortly after 11:00 a.m. during the mid-day meeting and at 5:00 p.m. for the
evening meeting.

Anyone with questions about the transportation safety plan or the open house may contact Carlton
Scroggins, Project Manager, MTPO, (785) 368-3728 or visit the project website:
http://www.topekampo.org/transportation-safety-plan.html

The City of Topeka is now accepting applications for the 2024 Public Works and Utilities Citizens Academy.

The academy gives residents an opportunity to learn more about the departments that manage the city’s infrastructure, including water systems, street and building maintenance, and making CIP budget decisions.

“It’s hard to understand all the details of what goes into the variety of services that we provide for the citizens and so giving them that opportunity is an extremely important tool in the communication efforts between the city and the citizens that we serve,” Topeka Mayor Mike Padilla said.

The upcoming citizens’ academy will take place over the course of seven weeks, beginning April 8, 2024.

The class is limited to 25 participants. All participants must be at least 18 years old. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/cotacademy2024.

About City of Topeka Public Works

The City of Topeka’s Public Works Department, nationally recognized through accreditation by the American Public Works Association, strives to meet our current and future needs. A well-run organization consisting of Engineering, Streets, Maintenance, Traffic Signs and Signals, Forestry, Parking, Fleet, and GIS Management ensures public funds are spent on projects and services approved by residents through their local City Council representative.

About City of Topeka Utilities

The Utilities Department is comprised of the Water and Water Pollution Control Utilities and the City of Topeka Customer Service Center. As the producer and distributor of drinking water and manager of all sanitary and stormwater waste in the community, the Utilities Department is integral in the safety and daily life of all Topeka citizens.

The City of Topeka is now accepting applications for the 2025 Public Works and Utilities Citizens Academy.

The academy gives Topeka residents an opportunity to learn more about the departments that manage the city’s infrastructure, including water systems, street and building maintenance, and making Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budget decisions.

“Understanding the complexity of what our Public Works and Utilities crews do – from maintaining safe drinking water to maintaining our streets – helps us appreciate the vital role they play in keeping our community running efficiently,” said Mayor Mike Padilla. “Giving citizens an opportunity to see and hear that firsthand is an important tool in the communication efforts between the city and the citizens that we serve.”

The upcoming citizens’ academy will take place over seven weeks, beginning March 31,
2025. The class is limited to 25 participants. All participants must be at least 18 years old. For more information and to register, visit City of Topeka Public Works and Utilities Citizens Academy.

About City of Topeka Public Works
The City of Topeka’s Public Works Department, nationally recognized through accreditation by the American Public Works Association, strives to meet our current and future needs. A well-run organization consisting of Engineering, Streets, Maintenance, Traffic Signs and Signals, Forestry, Parking, Fleet, and GIS Management ensures public funds are spent on projects and services approved by residents through their local City Council representative.

About City of Topeka Utilities
The Utilities Department is comprised of the Water and Water Pollution Control Utilities and the City of Topeka Customer Service Center. As the producer and distributor of drinking water and manager of all sanitary and stormwater waste in the community, the Utilities Department is integral in the safety of all Topeka citizens

Interim City Manager Bill Cochran announced Wednesday that Randy Phillips was selected to be the next Fire Chief for the City of Topeka.

Chief Phillips has 26 years of experience in fire service, all of which has been spent at the Topeka Fire Department (TFD). Chief Phillips rose through TFD’s ranks, and had been serving as the Interim Deputy Chief since December 2021.

Chief Phillips’ father, Dennis Phillips, was the Topeka Fire Chief from 2002 to 2004.

“I am very excited that Randy Phillips will serve as Fire Chief. Randy is a life-long Topekan, and seeing homegrown talent serve in key leadership roles is extremely important to me, and many others in our community,” said Interim City Manager Cochran. “I am confident with Chief Phillips’ strong leadership qualities and experience, he will ensure the strategic planning and vision for the department continues to move forward.”

Chief Phillips was selected out of five finalists. This selection is effective March 4, when Chief Craig Duke retires.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead the brave men and women that make up the Topeka Fire Department,” said Chief Phillips. “The fire service is a team effort and I am excited to work together to provide the highest level of service to the citizens of Topeka.”

 

In response to media requests, the City of Topeka has provided a video of an officer’s police interaction with Timothy Harris on January 23, 2018, as well as the attached Officer Use of Force Report/Narrative.  Some of the information contained in the Use of Force Report/Narrative is as follows:  Officer Janes was investigating a theft complaint against Harris and was also aware that Harris had an outstanding warrant for violating his probation in a Shawnee County District Court case.  He was on probation for convictions for paraphernalia and interference with a law enforcement officer.  In the course of the officer’s contact with Harris, Harris repeatedly failed to follow verbal directions from the officer.  Once Harris was placed in handcuffs, Officer Janes attempted to take Harris to the police vehicle. Harris began resisting by tensing up his body, refusing to move, and reaching back to grab the officer’s duty belt, where his handcuffs, pepper spray and firearm were located.  The officer then placed Harris on the ground for better control, until additional officers arrived.  While on the ground, Harris again grabbed the officer’s duty belt.  In response, the officer used two fist strikes to Harris’s torso and applied pepper spray to his face.

AMR was called to the scene and treated Mr. Harris for facial lacerations and pepper spray exposure.  At no time while Harris was in TPD custody did he complain of a broken jaw.  Further medical care was refused by Harris at the scene after which he was transported to the Department of Corrections.

Public records also reflect that Harris was charged in Municipal Court case CR-2018-533-MS with Unlawful Parking, Disobeying a Lawful Police Order, Interference with Law Enforcement, and Battery against a Law Enforcement Officer.  Harris was represented by an attorney and entered into a plea agreement.  Harris was found guilty of Unlawful Parking and Interference with Law Enforcement.  The charges of Disobeying a Lawful Police Order and Battery against a Law Enforcement Officer were dismissed, pursuant to the plea agreement.

The Governing Body meeting for Tuesday, November 17^th will be entirely remote on Zoom due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Shawnee County. Due to this change, only action items on the meeting agenda will be considered. All non-action items will be moved to the December 1^st meeting. Public comment can still be given, if submitted in writing, to the city clerk’s office at cclerk@topeka.org by 5 p.m.

The Governing Body meeting will be broadcast on City4, livestreamed to Facebook and can be viewed on the City of Topeka website at https://www.topeka.org/communications/live-stream/.

Topeka, KS- Mechanical issues in the lower level function rooms of Topeka Performing Arts Center caused an unforeseen circumstance and rendered the spaces temporarily unavailable.
The City of Topeka is addressing the issue and have hired a contractor to mitigate, repair and replace equipment and fixtures as needed. In an abundance of caution, the City and TPAC are working to relocate previously scheduled events from downstairs to alternate dates or to the unaffected upstairs Performance Hall and Meeting Rooms. Clearing the affected rooms will allow the contractor to work unencumbered and to resolve the issues in a timely and efficient manner.
As a result of the work in the lower level of TPAC, Grape Escape, the annual primary fundraiser for TPAC, has been postponed from its originally scheduled date of September 14. An alternate date will be announced soon.
Existing ticket holders for September 14 will be honored for the new date. For any questions, please contact Topeka Performing Arts Center at 785-234-2787 ext. 101