mcre Media .......[Henry McClure Publisher]

Who actually sets the rates The Topeka City Council sets water (and wastewater and stormwater) rates by ordinance. The current schedule is in Topeka Municipal Code § 13.05.020. The last multi-year package was adopted in 2023 for 2024–2026; they are in another public rate process now for 2027 and beyond. That is the normal arrangement for a city-owned utility in Kansas. Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) The KCC does not regulate municipal water rates. It regulates investor-owned (private) utilities — electric companies like Evergy, gas companies, and a handful of small private water systems (Suburban Water, Barton Hills, etc.). KCC’s own jurisdiction materials state that it does not regulate municipalities. Topeka’s water utility is city-owned, so it is outside KCC rate jurisdiction. State of Kansas — limited statutory overlay, not rate-setting Kansas statutes give cities the power to set their own rates and require those rates to be reasonable and sufficient to cover operati...

Frito-Lay (PepsiCo) Plant at 1303 SW 41st Street. One of their larger U.S. snack plants (Lay’s, Fritos, Doritos, Cheetos, Tostitos). They have publicly talked about cutting water use ~52% per pound of product since 1999 through process changes and sanitation practices. They were among the customers who noticed and complained when Kansas River chloride spiked in 2018, which is a sign they use city water in production, not just for restrooms. Mars Wrigley Chocolate plant in Kanza Fire Commerce Park (Topeka Blvd / Innovation Parkway area). Opened around 2014, later expanded (Snickers, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, M&M’s lines). It was built as a LEED Gold facility with explicit water-efficiency targets: ~35% reduction in potable water use versus a baseline building, 71% reduction in water used for sewage, and no irrigation. Still a large process-water user. Reser’s Fine Foods (“Reesers”) Salad / refrigerated-foods plants and distribution, including the main salad plant at 3728 SE 6th...

Mark Reser does not publish a personal email on the company website. The address that counts is the mailroom in Beaverton. Reser’s Fine Foods, Inc. Attn: Mark Reser, Chief Executive Officer PO Box 8 Beaverton, OR 97075 Street / visitor address: 15570 SW Jenkins Road Beaverton, OR 97006 Main phone: 503-643-6431 Toll-free: 800-333-6431 Ask the operator for the Office of the CEO, or for Mark Reser’s assistant. That is how a letter gets opened. Official contact form: resers.com/about-us/contact-us Put “Attention: Mark Reser — Topeka water rates” in the subject and attach your letter. Emails the company itself prints consumeraffairs@resers.com — public correspondence GivinginBeaverton@Resers.com — headquarters community desk GivinginTopeka@Resers.com — Topeka Cares team (local plant people read this) marijo@resers.com — Mari Jo Prlain, Corporate Director, philanthropy, 503-526-5716 Their published names usually run first-name-plus-last-initial @resers.com. That would...

You’re right to side-eye that claim. In Kansas a general contractor or subcontractor does not get a blanket right to buy job materials tax-exempt just because they hold a contractor’s license. The default rule is the opposite. Kansas treats the contractor as the final consumer of materials that get incorporated into real property. The contractor pays state + local sales tax (or compensating use tax) at the supplier. A resale exemption certificate (ST-28A) cannot be used for those materials. That is spelled out in KAR 92-19-66 and KDOR Publication KS-1525. Same rule for GCs and subs. When materials can be bought exempt The exemption is project-specific , not person-specific. It happens through a numbered Project Exemption Certificate (PEC) issued by the Kansas Department of Revenue (or an authorized agent). The GC and every sub present that PEC number to suppliers. Without the PEC, the supplier is supposed to collect the tax. Typical ways a PEC gets issued: The owner is a qualifyin...

Yes — there are official reports. And no, the “housing shortage” talk is not only about free housing for the homeless. Officials are folding several different problems into one slogan. The reports they actually cite The city’s main document is the Citywide Housing Market Study and Strategy (July 2020) . It still underpins later RHID write-ups, the 2024 implementation-plan metrics, Consolidated Plan language, and a lot of council/chamber talking points. HUD’s latest independent snapshot is the Topeka Housing Market Profile as of April 1, 2025 . It does not describe a collapsing market. It calls the sales market balanced and the rental market slightly tight . Other numbers in circulation: AEI Housing Center (March 2026): Kansas as a whole is short about 4,200 homes — roughly 0.3% of statewide stock. That is a modest gap, not a 10,000-unit local emergency. City Manager Robert Perez (Feb 2026): about 900 units short downtown . Topeka Housing Authority CEO Trey George (March 2026): T...