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Topeka budget staff warn special street fund faces shortfall; options include general-fund subsidy or cutting services
Summary
City budget staff told the Policy and Finance Committee that Topeka’s special street (highway repair) fund is trending toward a negative balance in 2026 as revenues flatten and personnel and commodity costs rise; staff outlined revenue and spending options but the committee took no formal vote.
Carissa Miller, Topeka budget manager, told the Policy and Finance Committee on March 25 that the special street or highway repair fund — which pays for minor street reconstruction, maintenance, snow removal and sweeping — is projected to be over-encumbered by the end of 2026.
Miller said the fund’s revenues come primarily from the state and county motor fuel tax distribution, which has been essentially flat from 2022 through 2024. “2024, we got about 5,500,000.0,” she said, and noted that fund expenses rose from about $5.3 million in 2021 to about $6.9 million in 2024. She warned the committee that the adopted budget projects the fund will end 2024 and 2026 with a negative balance and that staff expect to need some subsidy or service reductions.
Why it matters: The special street fund pays for routine maintenance that affects daily safety and quality of life — pothole response, snow clearing and right-of-way cleanup — and a sustained shortfall would either raise costs elsewhere in…
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