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Topeka council approves raising transient guest tax to 8.5%; advocates and homeless service providers warn of impacts
Summary
Council approved a charter ordinance to raise the transient guest (hotel) tax from 7% to 8.5% in 2027. Proponents said the change would align Topeka with peer cities; a transient speaker and others warned that even small nightly increases can harm people relying on low-cost lodging.
The Topeka Governing Body voted May 5 to increase the city’s transient guest tax from 7% to 8.5%, a change the mayor and proponents said would align the city’s hotel tax rate with other similarly sized Kansas communities and generate funds for economic development and city programs.
Mayor Spencer L Duncan framed the ordinance as a policy decision to “get in line with what the rest of the cities in our area and our size throughout Kansas are already doing” and emphasized that no decisions had yet been made about allocations for the additional revenue. “The way this is written, it would start in 2027,” he said, noting that staff and the transient guest tax committee would later solicit community input on how new revenue would be distributed.
Deputy Mayor Hofer explained the levy applies solely to short‑term hotel stays and is not a tax on residents unless they pay for a hotel stay; he also summarized current allocations to cultural and event facilities and Visit Topeka. “This is a tax only on those staying in hotel rooms,” Hofer said, adding that increases are paid by visitors and event attendees rather than the general population.
Public comment included testimony from Christopher Diley, a person experiencing homelessness, who asked the council to consider the human impact of even modest increases in nightly lodging costs. “A dollar 50 doesn't sound like much. But if you get social security and you're staying in a motel for maybe all you can get is like 7 or 8 nights a month … it ends up, you know, it's like $8, $9, $10,” Diley said, describing how small charges compound for people on fixed incomes.
After discussion, the council approved the charter ordinance to raise the rate to 8.5%; the clerk recorded nine yes votes and Council member Miller abstained.
What’s next: The ordinance would take effect in 2027, and the transient guest tax committee and governing body will hold follow-up conversations about allocation of the additional revenue and outreach to impacted stakeholders.
