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Topeka staff present citywide fee-schedule updates; committee approves moving changes to full council
Summary
City staff presented an initial overhaul of the municipal fee schedule — updates to permit, technology and fire fees and other departmental charges — and the Policy and Finance Committee voted to advance the proposal to the full council for consideration.
City staff presented a proposed, citywide update to Topeka’s fee schedule on March 25, noting many fees had not been adjusted in a decade and some charges do not recoup cost of services.
A staff presenter told the committee that moving the technology fee from $3 to $5 per permit/license would generate roughly $15,000 annually (based on about 7,500 permits/licenses), while changing a $10 fee to $15 would yield approximately $3,000 more a year. Staff said newly proposed fire inspection fees under the schedule would add more than $100,000 in revenue if adopted.
Gretchen O’Donovan, business manager for the Topeka Police Department, explained that property-maintenance and abatement costs are charged at actual cost following a 2022 update: “We actually get ourself flexibility in this room... demolitions and the abatements are charged the actual cost,” she said, adding that the department uses stated prices for materials when appropriate.
Committee members discussed the policy choice of raising delinquency and reconnection fees and asked whether fee waivers or policy codification should be considered for low-income or vulnerable residents. McCall Mallott (Utilities) said the department can and does waive delinquency fees in some circumstances, though the city does not currently have a codified policy to do so. Members also asked whether certain fees listed on staffheets had in fact been repealed; staff said they would clean up items left on an internal list.
The committee voted to move the fee-schedule package forward to the full council for review. Committee Chair Spencer Duncan made the motion and it was seconded; roll call produced unanimous aye votes from the three committee members present.
Ending: Staff said further ordinance revisions will be prepared where required, legal review will follow and the updated schedule will be presented to the full council for formal consideration as part of the 2026 budget process.
