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Topeka council votes to exceed revenue-neutral rate to preserve budget flexibility as 2026 hearings continue
Summary
After extended public comment opposing property tax increases, the Topeka City Council voted 7-2 on Aug. 26 to approve a resolution allowing the city to levy a 2026 property tax rate that exceeds the revenue-neutral rate, keeping options open as department budgets are finalized.
The Topeka City Council on Aug. 26 voted to approve a resolution allowing the city to levy a property tax rate for 2026 that exceeds the revenue-neutral rate of 35.183, giving staff and council additional budget flexibility as they complete deliberations ahead of final adoption in September.
Deputy Mayor Kell moved to approve the resolution to exceed the revenue-neutral rate; Councilman Kenneth Miller seconded. The motion passed in a roll call vote recorded in the transcript as seven yes, with Councilman David Banks and Councilman Chris Duncan voting no. The council clerk announced, "We have 7 yes with council members Banks and Duncan voting no. The motion carries."
City staff and department heads used the Aug. 26 session to brief the governing body on portions of the proposed 2026 operating budget. Josh MacInarney, budget and finance division director, gave an overview of mill-levy mechanics, noting the city’s current mill rate is 36.956 and the revenue-neutral rate is 35.183; he said one mill is approximately $1,500,000 in the 2026 budget and that capturing the increment over revenue neutral would yield about $2.7 million in additional property tax revenue for the city.
The meeting included multiple department presentations and staff remarks: - City Manager's Office (14 FTEs) — staff noted frozen positions (emergency management coordinator and CFO) and one eliminated communications position; an annual lobbyist contract was mentioned as an upcoming procurement. - Legal Department — Amanda, City Attorney, described the department’s in-house work (contracts, prosecutions, litigation) and noted there were no requested staffing increases for 2026; she highlighted recent work on economic development deals and a grant to support domestic-violence prosecution. - Human Resources — HR staff discussed implementation of the Tyler ERP modules, recruiting successes (engineer hires), and workforce training programs. - Office of Inclusive Communities — Director Monique Glade reviewed community outreach accomplishments (national night out, a community resource fair, and distribution of 499 backpacks) and goals for 2026, including a youth leadership summit and expanded partnerships. - Information Technology — IT staff summarized security-audit driven staffing requests, completion of a new website and utility-billing upgrade, and ongoing ERP data migration and asset-management planning.
Members of the public repeatedly urged the council not to raise property taxes. Speakers said rising property taxes were causing hardship for fixed-income residents and proposed alternatives, including redirecting economic development funding. Resident Lynelle Griffith argued that Topeka could reallocate part of Go Topeka’s budget (Go Topeka reported $11 million in 2024 sales-tax revenue) toward tax relief and economic development focused on attracting new residents rather than increasing taxes.
Council debate reflected those concerns. Councilman Banks said he could not support exceeding the revenue-neutral rate because constituents are being taxed out of their homes. Deputy Mayor Kell and Councilwoman Hofer said their support for allowing the city to exceed the revenue-neutral rate was intended to preserve "wiggle room" as staff continue detailed budget review, not to precommit to a higher levy; Hofer said the council could lower the rate later if cuts are possible. Councilman Duncan urged longer-term state-level fixes to the property-tax system and noted the council’s prior adoption of a property-tax rebate for low-income seniors and certain disabled veterans.
The council was reminded the budget adoption schedule includes further meetings: an upcoming public budget hearing (Sept. 9) and final adoption targeted for Sept. 16. City staff indicated additional opportunities remain for council amendment and public comment before final adoption.
The vote to allow the city to exceed the revenue-neutral rate is procedural for budget flexibility; the final mill levy and budget appropriation will be set at adoption in mid-September.
