Topeka committee advances property‑maintenance overhaul, adds new notice options and weighs rental registry

Karen Hiller was re‑elected chair of the Topeka City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee on March 11 as members opened a year‑long work plan to continue the city’s “Changing Our Culture” property‑maintenance initiative.

The committee spent the meeting reviewing the initiative’s goals — including reducing substandard structures by 50% in five years, shrinking abatement cost gaps and improving curb appeal — and heard staff and community feedback about enforcement, data sharing and tenant protections.

Director of Property Maintenance John Shardine asked the committee to amend its local ordinance to allow first‑class mail and email as acceptable primary methods for delivering notice of code violations, while retaining certified mail for items such as invoices. “If you elect to receive it through email, you’ll get color photographs, a better representation of the case and a chance to respond immediately to the inspector,” Shardine said. Committee members discussed legal and practical implications; staff said the city’s legal team supported the change. The committee approved…