Press Releases

The City of Topeka has several openings for community members to serve on various boards and commissions.

“Serving on boards and commissions is a great way to get involved in local government, while serving your community,” said Topeka Mayor Michael Padilla. “I encourage Topekans to take a look at the openings, see what topics might be of interest to you, and to apply for those open spots. We welcome citizens to join us in public service.”

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Advisory Council
  • There are currently two vacancies on the ADA Advisory Council.
• Board of Building and Fire Appeals
  • There are currently two vacancies on the Board of Building and Fire Appeals.
• Board of Electrical Appeals
  • There is currently one vacancy on the Board of Electrical Appeals.
• Board of Mechanical Examiners Appeals
  • There are currently four vacancies on the Board of Mechanical Examiners Appeals.
• Board of Plumbing Appeals
  • There is currently one vacancy on the Board of Plumbing Appeals.
• Citizens Advisory Council (CAC)
  • There is currently one vacancy on the Citizens Advisory Council.
• Civil Service Commission
  • There are currently two vacancies on the Civil Service Commission.
• Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) Advisory Board
  • There are currently two vacancies on the Downtown BID Advisory Board.
• Human Relations Commission
  • There is currently one vacancy on the Human Relations Commission.
• Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging Board of Directors
  • There is currently one vacancy on the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging Board of Directors.
• Shawnee County Community Corrections Advisory Board
  • There is currently one vacancy on the Shawnee County Community Corrections Advisory Board.
• Shawnee County Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board
  • There is currently one vacancy on the Shawnee County Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board.
• Topeka Housing Authority Advisory Board
• • There are currently two vacancies on the Topeka Housing Authority Advisory Board.
• Topeka Metropolitan Transit Board
  • There are currently two vacancies on the Topeka Metropolitan Transit Board.
• Topeka Performing Arts Center Board of Trustees
  • There are currently two vacancies on the Topeka Performing Arts Center Board of Trustees.
• Topeka Shawnee County Riverfront Authority Board
  • There is currently one vacancy on the Topeka Shawnee County Riverfront Authority Board.
• Topeka Sustainability Advisory Board
  • There are currently two vacancies on the Topeka Sustainability Advisory Board.

To learn more about the boards and commissions with vacancies, and to apply online, visit https://www.topeka.org/mayor/boards-commissions/.

 

The City of Topeka, Kansas has introduced a new way to pay for parking with the Passport Parking mobile app. The app, which will be the first mobile pay solution for City of Topeka Downtown parking, will offer drivers a contactless option for paying for and managing parking and can be used at over 1,200 metered spaces.

With the Passport Parking app, users can pay to park quickly and remotely from their smartphones. Additionally, users can receive alerts when their parking sessions are ending, get email receipts and view their parking history from one place.

“We wanted to provide an additional payment method to Topeka parkers,” said City of Topeka Deputy Director of Internal Services, Department of Public Works, Hannah Uhlrig. “Adding this new technology will make it easier for parkers to pay so they can truly enjoy what Downtown has to offer.”

By leveraging the Passport Operating System in the Downtown area, Topeka will improve the parking experience, enable mobile parking payments and increase parking compliance. In addition to the City of Topeka, the University of Kansas and Wichita State University are also powered by Passport.

“Topeka is a growing City dedicated to serving its community and their parking needs,” said Passport’s Director of Municipal Sales, Kelsey Owens. “Passport is excited to partner with the City and provide the technology needed to improve the parking experience and to equip the City for the future.”

To pay to park, drivers can download the free Passport Parking app from the App Store and Google Play. Users can also manage their parking online at passportparking.com.

The City of Topeka is extending the temporary closure of its Municipal Court and Probation and Prosecution Divisions through Friday while it continues to investigate a possible cyber security concern with one of the court’s information systems. It remains unclear whether or not the incident is related to the Kansas Supreme Court’s security incident.

All impacted dockets and trials will be rescheduled. Court operations will open to the public on Monday, October 23.

“This action is being taken out of an abundance of caution. We understand the impact this closure has on the community, and we look forward to resuming Court operations on Monday, or sooner, if possible,” said Topeka Municipal Court Administrative Judge Karan Thadani.

 

The City of Topeka’s Municipal Court will be closed to the public on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 due to technical issues with the Court’s internet and phone systems.

During Wednesday’s closure, no in-person dockets will be held, and the Court will not be open for walk-in business.

The Court is working to notify those impacted by Wednesday’s closure.

All cases on Wednesday will be rescheduled and notices of hearing will be sent by mail to defendants and defense counsel.

The city expects to be able to provide an update on Wednesday afternoon on the status of the impacted systems.

The City of Topeka’s Municipal Court and Probation and Prosecution Divisions will be closed to the public on Monday, October 16.

The closure is out of an abundance of caution, and will allow the city to investigate possible security concerns with one of the court’s systems.

During the closure, no in-person dockets or trials will be held, and walk-ins will not be accepted at the court or at the probation and prosecution divisions.

The city is working to notify those impacted by Monday’s closure.

The city expects to be able to provide an update Monday afternoon on the status of the court’s system.

At this time, it is unknown if the possible security concern is associated with the Kansas Supreme Court’s network security incident.

 

The Topeka Municipal Court will continue its suspension of most in-person dockets through January 28, 2022. The decision was made as a result of increased community spread of COVID-19 in Shawnee County.

All impacted cases will be rescheduled. Impacted defendants and defense counsel will be notified by mail. The Court will still continue to conduct its daily Jail/Show Cause Dockets, Video Conference Hearings, Alternate Sentencing Court and Sentencing Hearings.

Defendants are strongly encouraged to conduct business by phone, email, or facsimile whenever possible. Payments can be made online, over the phone, or by mail. Parties may also visit the Court’s website to determine if their matter qualifies for resolution via a video conference hearing.

The Court will remain open for walk-in business Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., for defendants to set court dates, resolve non-appearance required cases, recall warrants, file documents, make payments and reset payment plans. Masks are required to be worn in all City of Topeka buildings.

Defendants are encouraged to check the status of their case on the Court’s online public access portal at https://www.topeka.org/municipalcourt/.

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

 

The Topeka Municipal Court and Probation and Prosecution Divisions have resumed customer-service facing operations on Thursday, October 19, following a temporary closure of the court.

Effective immediately, the court is resuming in-person and over-the-phone services to its customers, and will be working to reschedule dockets and trials that have been cancelled this week.

Dockets and trials remain cancelled for the week and will resume on Monday, October 23. All court, probation and prosecution operations will resume as normal that day.

The possible cyber security concern was thoroughly investigated, and court operations are able to resume.

 

The Topeka Municipal Court will suspend scheduled dockets on Thursday, July 7, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and all scheduled dockets on Friday, July 8, 2022. This closure is due to temporary staffing and scheduling issues.

The DUI/Drug Docket on Thursday, July 7 at 8:30 a.m. will be held as scheduled. The Court will resume normal operations on Monday, July 11, 2022.

All impacted cases will be rescheduled, and impacted defendants and defense counsel will be notified by mail.

Non-docket Court business, such as defendants wanting to set court dates, resolve non-appearance required cases, recall warrants, file documents, make payments, and reset payment plans, will continue as normal during business hours.

Defendants are encouraged to check the status of their case on the Court’s online public access portal at https://www.topeka.org/municipalcourt/.

Anyone directed to report to the Probation Division should continue to report as scheduled.

 

The City of Topeka Neighborhood Relations Department will be hosting the Topeka Neighborhood University on Saturday, September 8th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ramada Hotel & Convention Center. This Neighborhood Leaders Training will be given by NeighborWorks America.

NeighborWorks America is an organization that brings 30 years of experience in training and conducting assessments of nearly 250 NeighborWorks organizations nationwide will provide training to neighborhood leaders and community partners. NeighborWorks America is an organization that works to help communities with affordable housing and community development initiatives through building skills and supplementing resources of the organizations they work with.

“The City of Topeka/Department of Neighborhood Relations understands the collaboration with neighborhood leaders and community partners is an instrumental component to the success of a strong community,” said Monique Glaudeˊ Division Director of Community Engagement for the Neighborhood Relations Department. “We are excited to bring NeighborWorks America back to our community for the second session of Topeka Neighborhood University.”

The training, sharing of ideas and exchange of knowledge can lead to lasting benefits for the community and will afford neighborhood leaders an opportunity to create actions steps to assist in developing their strategic plan to improve the quality of life for their neighborhoods.

Workshops at the Topeka Neighborhood University will include facilitating group decision making, partner cultivation clinic, community genius: small strategies for big neighborhood impact and organizing for neighborhood safety.

Due to limited seating, no walk-in’s will be allowed. If you would like to attend please RSVP by
Friday August, 24th to Monique Glaudeˊ at (785) 368-4470 or mglaude@topeka.org

The Topeka Police Department is accepting applications for its 46th Citizens Police Academy. The TPD is happy to offer the academy once again after being shut down during the COVID pandemic. This is the 26th year the department has offered this popular bi-annual program!

Classes will be held Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., beginning August 25, 2022, and running through November 3, 2022.

Citizens attending will be exposed to the challenges faced by law enforcement, and learn how TPD meets those challenges. Participants will learn about various aspects of the Police Department including field operations, criminal investigations, community outreach, crisis negotiations, bomb disposal, crime scene investigations, and much more!

If you or anyone you know, who is over 18 years of age is interested in attending, an application must be filled out and submitted at https://www.topeka.org/tpd/opportunities-for-citizens/citizens-academy/. You can also contact Cpt. Colleen Stuart at 785-368-9451 with questions. There is limited space available, and seats fill quickly, so turn your applications in soon!