Topeka council sends downtown parking ordinance and meter plan back to committee after heated debate

The Topeka governing body voted May 6 to send an amended downtown parking ordinance and an accompanying resolution on paid parking back to committee for further review after extended debate about garage rates, meter placements and the timeline for reinstating paid parking.

The ordinance introduced by City Manager Dr. Robert Perez would increase garage monthly fees and adjust meter pricing and permit rates citywide, while the resolution would reinstate paid parking on Kansas Avenue and the 100 blocks east and west of Kansas Avenue beginning Jan. 1, 2026, unless the council decides otherwise.

Why it matters: the city’s parking fund has been operating with an annual net shortfall; staff warned that without revenue changes the parking fund balance could be exhausted as early as August 2027. The ordinance and resolution are intended to shore up parking fund revenue while changing how downtown parking is administered.

Deputy director of public works Jason Tryon walked the governing body through the ordinance and said it would, among other changes, "increase the parking rates in our parking garages from the current monthly fee of $67.75 to $74" and raise many meter rates so they were uniform. He also said the resolution would "reinstitute paid parking on Kansas Avenue and the 100 blocks east and west of Kansas Avenue" if approved.

Council debate centered on several disputes: whether Kansas Avenue should remain free, how quickly meters should return to the 100-block area, and whether staff should retain discretion to set rates. Councilman Veil Dobler offered an amendment to preserve no-meter status on Kansas Avenue between Sixth Avenue and Tenth Street; that amendment passed on a narrow roll call with five votes in favor and four against (council members Hiller, Banks, Kale and Miller voted no). The amendment limits the parking superintendent’s discretion in that corridor and exempts it from staff rate-setting authority.

Several council members, including Councilwoman Amanda Hiller, urged caution about embedding operational details in the ordinance and said the substantive decisions about when and where to start charging should be made in the accompanying resolution or after further study. "I think it's premature for us to do this and to make such a great change in the enabling ordinance instead of in our resolution," Hiller said.

Councilman Dobler and others said the council needed to act to protect the city’s investment in downtown garages and to avoid a projected bankruptcy of the parking fund. Councilman Jason Duncan and others said elected officials should keep oversight of long-term rate decisions rather than delegating them fully to staff.

Outcome: After lengthy discussion, a motion to refer the ordinance and the companion resolution to committee carried; the clerk recorded nine yes votes and the measures were sent to the Policy and Finance Committee for further work and public review. The referral means the council will not immediately implement the ordinance or the resolution and staff will return with additional details and any proposed cleanups.

What’s next: Council members asked staff to present projected revenue impacts if the date to start paid parking in the 100-block area is delayed and to clarify the mechanics of rate-setting authority. The committee will schedule public meetings so business owners and residents can review specific meter maps, price schedules and the parking garage financial forecasts.

Quotes in this piece come from the governing body meeting transcript and are attributed to speakers listed in the transcript.