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Topeka council consolidates fee ordinances, votes to drop $25 burn permit charge
Summary
The Topeka City Council on Jan. 13 approved an ordinance consolidating dozens of fee references into a single city fee schedule and voted to reduce a proposed $25 burn‑permit fee to $0 after concerns about low‑income residents and safety. Council amended the schedule-review requirement from annual to "when requested."
The Topeka City Council voted Jan. 13 to consolidate multiple municipal fee references into a single, cross‑referenced ordinance and to adopt a companion fee schedule by resolution, a change city staff said will make fees easier for residents to find.
City Manager Robert Perez and budget director Josh McInarney told the council the consolidation does not itself change prices; it transfers fee amounts into a single fee schedule adopted by resolution so the governing body can update amounts by resolution. Perez said the rates reflect adjustments made in the FY2026 budget and staff estimated codifying the rates equated to roughly $150,000–$200,000 depending on price fluctuations.
The discussion turned heated when Councilwoman Ortiz raised constituent complaints about a proposed $25 annual burn permit and moved to reduce the burn‑permit fee to $0. Ortiz argued many residents who clear brush are volunteers or low‑income and would not pay the fee: "Reduce it to 0," she said when offering the motion. Assistant Fire Marshal Dylan Smith and city staff explained a burn permit is required only for fires larger than "3 feet by 2 feet," and that the fee was intended primarily for partial cost recovery and education. Smith said the fee was "intended more for a cost recovery type" and emphasized the department's interest in public education and safety checks around larger burns.
Council members split between concerns about imposing costs on residents and the need to cover city costs. Several members supported keeping fees visible in ordinances for transparency; others favored a single fee document for convenience. After debate, the council adopted the consolidation ordinance and the fee schedule resolution and passed the specific motion to set the burn‑permit charge at $0; the burn‑fee motion carried 7–1, with Council member Bradbury casting the lone no vote.
Separately, Mayor Mary Duncan moved — and the council approved — an amendment striking language that required the governing body to review the entire fee schedule annually and replacing it with a provision to review the schedule "when requested" by the governing body or staff.
Council members also asked staff to follow up on several line items, including how multi‑year permits are displayed, labor‑rate calculations embedded in some fees, and disposal charges such as tire removal. Staff said the fee schedule is cross‑referenced by department and includes code citations for each fee so residents can locate related ordinance language.
The council approved the consolidation ordinance and the fee schedule resolution by recorded vote; staff said public outreach and publication of the new schedule would follow with implementation steps anticipated in February.
