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Committee highlights 'changing our culture' outreach: yard awards, Coffee with Code and tenant education
Summary
Communications and the Office of Inclusive Communities reported strong engagement for the Yard of the Month pilot and outlined upcoming Coffee with Code events and a Nov. 6 Kansas Legal Services tenant education seminar. Staff emphasized targeted outreach (zip code and NIA tracking) and coordination with police for education around enforcement.
City communications and the Office of Inclusive Communities updated the Public Health & Safety Committee on ongoing education and outreach tied to the property maintenance initiative.
Dan Garrett, director of communications, described social‑media coverage and local broadcast interest in the Yard of the Month pilot and said the program produced the highest social-media engagement staff has tracked for a city program. The program ran as a three‑month pilot; judges are scoring September nominations and winners will be announced. Garrett also said staff is promoting Coffee with Code (Oct. 25 at Hillcrest Community Center, 10 a.m.–noon) and that 54 people had marked interest in the event.
Monique Glade, director of the Office of Inclusive Communities, said staff will map Yard of the Month submissions by ZIP code and NIA area so council members can assess whether historically underserved neighborhoods are engaging. She said the office is prepared to help with outreach tied to the property-maintenance implementation and will work closely with Commander Stewart and property maintenance staff on educational materials.
Kansas Legal Services will present a tenant-education seminar on Nov. 6 at the Topeka Public Library (6–8 p.m.), covering landlord-tenant topics, code compliance and retaliation protections; staff said the event will be promoted on city and partner channels and requires pre-registration.
Why it matters: committee members said education is central to the "inside out" approach the city is pursuing — encouraging residents to care for properties and building trust ahead of any stepped‑up enforcement. Staff committed to tracking engagement by ZIP code and neighborhood to evaluate outreach effectiveness.
What’s next: staff will deliver ZIP‑code/NIA maps of Yard of the Month engagement at the next meeting and coordinate outreach materials for the October Coffee with Code series and the November KLS seminar.
