City of Topeka Governing Body Meeting - September 17, 2025
City of Topeka Governing Body Meeting - September 17, 2025
Note: The transcript repeatedly references September 16, 2025, but per the instruction, the meeting date is recorded as September 17, 2025. This discrepancy is noted.
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Mayor Michael Padilla with 10 council members present. The meeting included a proclamation, consent agenda, several action items, extensive budget discussions, public comments, and final announcements. The council adopted the 2026 operating budget after multiple amendments.
Consent Calendar
- Resolution 1: Exception to noise ordinance for Christ the King Catholic Church.
- Ordinance: Approval of city expenditures for July 26 – August 29, 2025.
- Minutes: Regular meeting of September 9, 2025.
- All items approved unanimously (10-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Daniel Twendho (on 4B): Opposed the abatement of special assessment penalties for Marney Properties, arguing it lacks transparency and sets a bad precedent; noted other homeowners have paid their specials for years and that the city is losing property tax revenue from undeveloped lots.
- Candace Stiles (Topeka Metro Board): Requested $250,000 to restore a bus route cut due to the Metro’s revenue-neutral rate hearing shortfall; warned cuts would harm low-income residents.
- Kalani Britt (Topeka Jump): Urged $2 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and investment in a community violence intervention program; warned the council has failed for five years to act on the 2020 housing study.
- Henry (unidentified): Criticized the use of consultants and Go Topeka funding; called for a citizens commission and urged the body to stop hiring consultants.
- Danielle Twamba: Expressed disappointment that the budget lacks consistent funding for affordable housing, mental health, and the unsheltered; suggested revenue streams such as rental registry and improved incentive policies.
- Henry McClure (during public comment): Complained about CORA violations by Go Topeka regarding vote tallies on sales tax expenditures; questioned tax breaks for Advisors XL and the ATT building deal.
Discussion Items
- Transient Guest Tax for Hotel Topeka (4A): The city manager (Robert Perez) and deputy city manager (Braxton Copley) presented a charter ordinance to implement an 8% transient guest tax at Hotel Topeka, with revenues above a 2025 baseline going to the city to recoup acquisition, operating, and capital costs. Councilman Duncan (committee chair) explained it is a procedural move to implement a previously approved deal. The total city investment is approximately $17.7 million (bonds, interest, capital, operations). Revenue is expected from the CID ($4M over 22 years) and the TGT increment ($13.3M over ~30 years). Councilwoman Valdivia-Alcala opposed, citing community dissatisfaction with the payback timeframe.
- Marney Properties Special Assessment Abatement (4B): The deputy city manager explained the owner owed $82,593 in specials and $10,416 in taxes; waiving penalties ($47,775) was recommended because penalties go to the county, not the city, and the properties were in foreclosure. Councilwoman Valdivia-Alcala voted no, concerned about precedent and taxpayer impact.
- 2026 Operating Budget (4C):
- The budget initially had a deficit; staff worked to balance it.
- Amendment 1 (Dobler): $250,000 from the Tyler project contingency to Topeka Metro to restore a bus route. Passed 10-0.
- Amendment 2 (Miller): $100,000 from economic development funds to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Passed 8-2 (Valdivia-Alcala and Banks no).
- Hiller comprehensive amendment: Proposed $700,000 in cuts (Lexipol studies, property tax rebate program, duplicate PARS grant, new historic tax credit revenue). Withdrawn after debate.
- Sub-amendment (Ortiz): Move Lexipol funding ($190k) from general fund to forfeiture fund. Passed 10-0.
- Amendment (Duncan): Retain two-hour parking on 8th Avenue between Kansas and Jackson until Dec 31, 2026, with $25,000 revenue reduction. Passed 7-2-1 (Kel and Hofer no, Hiller abstained).
- Amendment (Duncan): Transfer $130,000 from e-citation enhancement to fund a Chief Financial Officer position. Passed 10-0.
- City manager motion: Transfer internal investigator FTE from city attorney’s office to city manager’s office to build an office of municipal integrity. Passed 10-0.
- Final budget approval as amended: Passed 8-2 (Hiller and Hofer no).
- Public comment on budget: Multiple speakers emphasized the need for sustainable funding for transit, housing, and violence prevention.
Key Outcomes
- Transient Guest Tax Ordinance (4A): Adopted 9-1 (Valdivia-Alcala opposed). The city will capture the increment above the 2025 baseline from an 8% TGT at Hotel Topeka to recoup $17.7M over ~30 years, combined with $4M from the CID.
- Marney Properties Abatement (4B): Adopted 8-1 (Valdivia-Alcala opposed). The city waived $47,775 in penalties; the owner pays $82,593 in specials and $10,416 in taxes.
- 2026 Budget (4C): Adopted 8-2 after amendments. Key changes:
- $250,000 transferred from Tyler project to Topeka Metro.
- $100,000 from economic development to Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
- $190,000 in Lexipol costs moved from general fund to forfeiture fund.
- $130,000 from e-citation enhancement reallocated to a CFO position.
- Internal investigator FTE moved from city attorney to city manager.
- Two-hour parking retained on a stretch of 8th Avenue, reducing parking revenue by $25,000.
- Executive Session: The council recessed for 15 minutes for legal advice; no action taken.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good evening. It's six o'clock, and I welcome you to the September 16th meeting of the governing body. I'll call this meeting to order. If you will give your attention to Councilman Duncan, who will provide the incation. Stand as you are able and then remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you, Mayor. All right. Do my best to get through this. In a minute. I thought this would be easier, believe it or not. Um, I think as most people know. Last week my mother passed away. Somewhat unexpectedly. Um first of all, I want to thank everybody, literally hundreds and hundreds of people who've reached out, expressed their condolences and offered assistance to us as a family. I will say that my mother grew up in this town. She is a Topeka native, and she loved this community. She did everything she could when she could to give back. And when I say give back, it wasn't just the big stuff. You'll find a lot of people in this community have the small stories. They needed to ride to the grocery store, they needed to help with their vet bill so their vet could so their cat or dog could get taken care of. And in some cases, she simply just helped people keep the lights on. I would sit up here a lot and I would often say, I'm about to take this vote, but my mother is texting me and saying she has different thoughts. Why are you doing that, Spencer? Are you sure that's the right thing to do? And she took every opportunity she could remind me that my role here is to take care of and represent the people. Period. She never missed an opportunity to remind me to stay down that path. And so I've appreciated that, obviously. Um I will tell you every meeting that I left here. She was the first phone call I would make, so she could tell me what she thought, because she watched every meeting, and she could give me her feedback. And I promise you that while she wasn't the only voice in my head, she was the loudest that I always told people represented the people in this city. And so it isn't just my loss. I tell people it's everybody's loss because that voice is gone. And I will say that I know everybody out there at some point in time has had somebody like that in their life that they have lost. And so with that, I ask everyone to pray. Let us take a moment to pause and reflect. As we gather here tonight in service to our community, we acknowledge that our work is built upon the efforts, sacrifices, and dreams of those who came before us. We remember the neighbors, friends, and loved ones we have lost, those whose presence shaped our city, and whose absence we still feel. May their memory inspire us to lead with compassion, humility, and dedication, and may we honor them by striving to build a safer, stronger, and more hopeful future for all who call this community home. Let us move forward together with respect for one another, gratitude for the opportunities before us, and commitment to the responsibilities entrusted to us. Amen. I congratulate this to the flag of the United States of America. And consider it stands. Okay. First on the agenda. Roll call. Madam Clerk. Mayor Padilla. Here. Councilmembers Hiller.
openpublica.com