Topeka City Council Meeting - October 14, 2026

Note: The transcript states this meeting occurred on October 13, 2026, but the provided timestamp indicates October 14, 2026 at 17:23:52 UTC. This summary uses the given date.

The governing body convened at approximately 5:23 PM UTC (12:23 PM CDT) for a session lasting until 10:33 PM local time. The agenda included presentations on the FY2027-2030 strategic plan, a proposed data center at Forbes Field, an island annexation overview, and extensive discussion on future sales tax initiatives. Public comment included strong opposition to data centers, concerns about road projects, and support for a rental registry.

Presentations

• FY2027-2030 Strategic Plan (City Manager & KU Public Management Center): The city manager introduced a contract with the University of Kansas to develop a four-year strategic plan by March 2027. Phase one includes individual interviews with governing body members in November–December 2026, a full-day work session in January 2027, and a half-day discussion in February before adoption in March. Christy Northcutt (KU) presented the team and timeline, emphasizing inclusive, customized, research-backed facilitation.
• Data Center at Forbes Field (MTAA President Curtis Sneedon): Mr. Sneedon discussed a potential “tech center” data center on 30-40 acres at the south end of Forbes Field, with an initial 70-80 megawatt load and two buildings (roughly 150,000 sq ft each), with possible future expansion to four buildings. He emphasized the project is in early stages, dependent on Evergy power availability, and that the developer has not applied for permits. He stated the developer will pay for utility extensions, landscaping, and will be required to make a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) equivalent to property taxes. No incentives have been requested. Mayor Duncan and multiple council members expressed frustration that the developer remains unnamed and has not engaged directly with the community. Councilmembers raised concerns about noise (50-65 decibels estimated), water consumption (~1 million gallons/year closed-loop system), potential interference with airport operations, and the reliability of PILOT agreements. Councilmember Valdivia-Alcala noted the City of Topeka Planning Commission considers anything over 50 megawatts as “hyperscale.” No vote was taken.
• Island Annexation Overview (Dan Warner, Planning Director): This presentation explained the difference between standard contiguous annexation and island annexation. Island annexation requires a property owner petition, a resolution from the Governing Body asking the county to determine no inhibition of growth, and a county commission resolution before the city can pass an ordinance. It was noted that no annexation request has been received for the proposed Compass data center site.

Consent Calendar

• Approved unanimously (10-0): three-year labor contract with Council 61 Local 1294 Water Division; 2027 special alcohol and drug funding recommendations of $865,924; minutes of October 6, 2026.

Public Comments

• Data Centers (multiple speakers): Residents opposed both the MTAA and Compass data centers, citing health concerns from noise and water pollution, lack of economic benefits, property tax shifts to residents, and flight safety issues. Speakers requested independent acoustical and industrial hygiene studies, a decommissioning escrow, and a ban on hyperscale data centers. One speaker noted AI analysis recommended a five-mile setback. Several speakers criticized the lack of transparency and urged the council to oppose any data center in Shawnee County.
• Roads (Joseph Ledbetter, Sandra Lasseter): Ledbetter complained about numerous unfinished road projects (37th, Croix, 29th, 17th, Huntoon, Topeka Blvd) causing bus route disruptions. Lasseter requested a crosswalk with a light at 37th and Gage near Dollar General and urged reopening Topeka Boulevard.
• Rental Registry (Danielle Twemlow, Councilmember Valdivia-Alcala in support): Twemlow advocated pairing the rental registry with a licensure program for multi-family units, noting it could improve code enforcement efficiency and safety. Councilmember Valdivia-Alcala urged colleagues to prepare for the upcoming discussion.
• City Manager Position (Sandra Lasseter): Suggested freezing the deputy manager position (Braxton) and redistributing responsibilities to save money.
• Police Accountability (Davin Banks): Alleged wrongful arrest on August 24, 2026, and called for internal accountability.

Discussion Items

• FY2026 Strategic Goals & FY2027 Goals (City Manager): The city manager reviewed progress on 14 FY2026 goals (e.g., 311 call center evaluation, affordable housing trust fund activation, digital kiosks, EV pilot, fire station relocation plan). For FY2027, he proposed five initial goals: continue digital ticketing, develop a climate action plan with the sustainability board, complete the fire station relocation plan with funding recommendations, develop a two-year sustainable budget with a five-year infrastructure program, and create a five-year infrastructure management plan. He will send a memorandum by October 27 and finalize goals on November 10. Monthly budget accountability reports will start February 2027.
• Future Sales Tax Initiatives & City Auditor (City Manager & Dalton Badel): The city manager presented options to address projected deficits ($13.3M in FY2028, $17.4M in FY2029). Three scenarios were considered: (1) a March 2027 special election with a half-cent general purpose sales tax, one-tenth cent for affordable housing/homeless services, renewal of the existing half-cent infrastructure tax, and a charter amendment for a city auditor reporting to council; (2) an August 2027 primary election with a similar package, allowing a community sales tax committee; (3) splitting housing/homeless and auditor to March and deferring the rest to August. The half-cent would generate ~$20M/year and could cash-fund three fire stations; the one-tenth cent would generate ~$4M/year. Tax impact comparisons were provided: at 9.95% combined rate, an average household spending $23k/year would pay an extra $138/year. Councilmembers expressed strong preference for August to allow public input and refine language, especially for the affordable housing/homeless question. Concerns were raised about broad “operating costs” language in the general tax, and the need to specify outcomes and measurement. The city auditor charter amendment (Ballot Question 4) was generally supported. No vote was taken; discussion will continue on October 20.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved 10-0.
• Sales tax decisions deferred: Discussions will resume October 20, 2026, with potential for a March or August 2027 election. The mayor signaled he will prepare revised language for the affordable housing/homeless question and the auditor amendment for next week’s consideration.
• Data center issue remains in early stages: No council action taken; continued community opposition and council skepticism noted.
• Executive sessions (2): One 15-minute session on cybersecurity (under KSA 75-4319(b)(12)) and one 15-minute session on potential litigation/attorney-client privilege. No action taken.
• Meeting adjourned at 10:33 PM local time.