Topeka Governing Body Special Budget Meeting and Public Hearings – August 26, 2026

The Topeka governing body held a special budget meeting, initially opened with the date August 25, 2026, in the transcript; the provided meeting timestamp is August 26, 2026, 02:23:06+00:00, so that date is used here. The meeting included two state truth-in-taxation public hearings, votes on resolutions to exceed revenue neutral rates for the Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority (TMTA) and the City of Topeka, a five-year financial forecast presentation, and a work-session discussion of the FY 2027 operating budget. The clerk initially read the city's revenue neutral rate as 35.850 mills in one announcement, while the city manager and finance staff cited 35.580 mills; the proposed city cap was 37.126 mills.

Public Comments & Testimony

TMTA mill levy hearing

• Jack Calcutta, a Shawnee County resident, Topeka property owner, and candidate for Shawnee County Commission, opposed exceeding the revenue neutral rate, saying taxes should go down, not up.
• Daniel Bailey, a Topeka property owner, opposed the increase, stating his effective tax rate was 12% and his property taxes were $8,000.
• Claudia Elkins, a Topeka property owner, opposed exceeding the revenue neutral rate for the buses.
• A Topeka resident spoke in opposition, saying public transportation is a great resource and asked the governing body not to raise bus prices.
• No speaker at the TMTA hearing supported the proposed increase.

City of Topeka mill levy hearing

• Jack Calcutta, again as a Shawnee County resident, Topeka property owner with almost $1 million in property, and county commission candidate, opposed the city resolution. He said the proposals would raise taxes about 4% for the city portion and about 9% for TMTA for property owners with positive valuation adjustments; noted Topeka's population declined about half a percent and has declined for the past five years; and urged the council to vote no and cut non-essential services.
• Claudia Elkins opposed exceeding the revenue neutral rate, urging hard personnel decisions and cuts to middle management without touching public safety, public works, or roads, and asked the city to seek non-tax revenue streams and grants.
• Ignatius Brown, a recent homeowner and precinct worker, said he and his wife may have to return to renting because of proposed increases, and that Democratic, Republican, and independent voters are disgusted with rising property taxes.
• Deborah Olson, a city resident, said she paid off all of her specials in May in preparation for her husband's retirement and asked the council to consider that when deciding whether to raise taxes.
• Lynel Griffith, a Topeka resident, opposed property tax increases, suggested zero-based budgeting and comparing diesel to electric costs, supported state-level guardrails on property taxes, thanked Mayor Duncan for voting not to exceed the revenue neutral rate last year, and said residents need a home more than amenities.
• Daniel Bailey said he moved from Nevada three years ago, that Topeka property taxes are 150% higher than where he came from, that his old home values exceeded $1 million with taxes of $3,000, and that he found another proposed increase obscene; he also challenged whether the council listens to public testimony.
• Porta Kang, a recent resident, opposed further tax increases, saying his tax bill had already increased.
• Joseph Ledbetter, a Topeka attorney, opposed property tax, sales tax, fee, and utility increases; said small businesses pay a 25% assessment while residents pay 11%; claimed the city is overstaffed in middle management; said Topeka's population has shrunk about 3,000 since 2011; and said the city extends sewer service outside the city to about 5,800 units without collecting city property tax, recommending budget and FTE cuts.
• Henry McClure, a Topeka resident, suggested focusing on sales tax and business growth instead of only cutting expenses, and questioned the city's handling of the Maverick truck stop deal.
• A speaker who moved from California three years ago, with name not captured, urged the council not to raise taxes, saying Topeka should not become another California and should create revenue through businesses and sales tax.
• A speaker who ran for city council, with name not fully captured, called for a hard audit of every paid city employee, described middle management as bloated, and argued for lowering property taxes and making the riverfront a sales-tax-producing attraction rather than parks that require maintenance and insurance.
• All speakers at the city hearing opposed exceeding the revenue neutral rate; none spoke in favor.

Additional public comment on the five-year forecast

• Claudia Elkins asked how the proposed half-cent sales tax would relate to the earlier fire-station funding discussions. City Manager Perez recommended a half-cent general government sales tax rather than a public-safety-only tax, with a tenth-cent split between affordable housing and market-rate housing, while still potentially allowing a cash option for fire stations.
• Joseph Ledbetter criticized the budget math, said personnel costs are always at least 80% of budgets, argued that road closures have hurt sales tax revenue and local businesses such as Blind Tiger, and urged better prior planning by staff.

Discussion Items

Five-Year Financial Forecast

• City Manager Dr. Robert Perez and Deputy Budget and Finance Director Josh McEnarney presented a five-year forecast showing structurally imbalanced finances. FY 2027 is balanced only with a one-time $4.5 million transfer from two funds.
• The general fund is about 70% public safety and about 75% salary; its main revenues are sales tax, property tax, and franchise fees. Sales tax makes up about 33% of general fund revenue and property tax about 35%.
• Sales tax collections are about $566,000 below budget for the first five months, assuming 1.25% growth, and the city is projecting flat franchise fees and moderate growth in assessed value of 3%, compared with 4.29% last year.
• The forecast projects general fund deficits of about $13.3 million in FY 2028, rising to about $22.9 million by FY 2031, if no revenue or expense changes are made.
• The FY 2027 budget already freezes or eliminates 49 positions: 32 vacant general fund positions, including 19 police officers, 10 firefighters, engineering techs, and two assistant chief positions, saving about $3.4 million, plus 17 eliminated positions in other departments.
• Retirement reserve, workers' compensation, and the special highway fund will need subsidies starting in FY 2028 and FY 2029; the special highway fund receives only about $5.7 to $5.8 million per year from the state gas tax.
• Josh McEnarney said possible structural-balance actions include reductions in grants and social service rebates of $1.1 million, non-required education and travel of $100,000, and personnel reductions, with 29 non-public-safety general government positions equal to about $3.3 million and additional public safety personnel equal to about $6.4 million. He also noted reducing CIP and bonded projects and other options totaling about $7.5 million.
• Mayor Duncan proposed a goal of having 100 fewer city employees in five years, achieved through attrition, retirement, and organizational redesign rather than mass layoffs. Councilmember Miller pushed back, warning about burnout and mistakes from thinned-out staff, and Councilmember Kell cautioned that eliminating positions could cost more if work is outsourced.
• Mayor Duncan said property tax burdens are real, the city has not raised its mill levy in 15 years and reduced it several times in the past five years, and the city receives about 25 cents of every property tax dollar, with the rest going to schools, the county, the library, Washburn, the transit and airport authorities, and state levies. He said state law and the county appraiser drive valuations, the state collects 20 mills, and the city has already cut more than $12 million from this year's budget; going revenue neutral would require an additional $2.4 million in cuts, largely in public safety. He voted to exceed the revenue neutral rate while pledging not to increase the mill levy and to work with the legislature on property tax relief.
• The presentation included a possible sales tax ballot measure: current sales tax is 9.35%; a half-cent increase would take it to 9.85% and generate about $20 million annually for the general fund, while a new tenth-cent increase would generate about $4 million annually, split between an affordable housing trust fund and a market-rate housing fund, bringing the combined rate to 9.95%. The citywide half-cent sales tax expires October 1, 2029, and has a $40 million fund balance for road projects at the end of 2025.
• The proposed timeline for a sales tax initiative was: Policy and Finance Committee discussion on September 3, governing body approval of ballot language in October, a special election on March 2, 2027, and first collections on July 1, 2027.
• Councilmember Hiller asked for more detailed budget information, including an all-funds budget, itemized personnel by department and subdepartment, and a CIP spreadsheet; staff said the all-funds document was sent July 22 and could be resent, and FTE counts are available. Hiller also said she had reservations about a nearly 10% sales tax.
• Councilmember McGee suggested reducing the NRP rebate program from 20 to 10 years, reviewing franchise fees for even application, and pursuing PILOT agreements with large tax-exempt property owners.
• Councilmember Banks asked residents to bear with the council and staff as they work through hard budget decisions and advocated relaxing red tape for developers.
• Councilmember Hiller cited the Polk Quincy Viaduct as an expensive federal mandate, including $22 million in borrowing and about $2 million per year in debt service, and noted the city was $15 million in the hole.

Operating Budget Discussion

• The city manager said no set agenda was planned; the next meetings would be work sessions for budget questions and proposed amendments, with final adoption on September 15.
• Councilmember Hiller requested the personnel and FTE detail by department and the all-funds budget to evaluate cuts; staff offered to re-send materials and provide more granular FTE data.
• The city manager said he would bring proposed amendments next week, including travel reductions and planning and development cost changes related to an enterprise fund.

Key Outcomes

• Action Item A: The governing body approved the resolution to exceed the TMTA revenue neutral rate, capping it at 4.20 mills. The voice vote carried 6-2-1: Mayor Duncan and Councilmembers Hiller, Ortiz, Kell, McGee, and Hofer voted yes; Councilmembers Miller and Bradbury voted no; Councilmember Banks abstained. The final TMTA mill rate will be considered September 15.
• Action Item B: The governing body approved the resolution to exceed the city's revenue neutral rate, capping it at 37.126 mills, on a unanimous 9-0 vote. The final city mill rate and budget adoption are scheduled for September 15, 2026.
• No formal vote was taken on the five-year financial forecast; it was a discussion item. Next steps include an executive session on detailed personnel reductions, further budget work sessions over the next two meetings, and possible placement of a sales tax initiative on a March 2, 2027 ballot.