City eyes funding for copters

Council, police seek funds to save program.

How to fund the police helicopter program for next year will be the high visibility item on this week's Topeka City Council agenda.

A variety of alternatives are on the agenda. Police Chief Dean Forster is expected to describe the administration's work to pull money from a variety of sources to fund the program.

A resolution sponsored by seven council members would take the money from the general fund's contingency line item.

And Councilman Duane Pomeroy is proposing to give the choppers to the county.

The proposed redevelopment plan for North Topeka also is on the agenda. A joint city ordinance and Shawnee County resolution would incorporate the planning document for North Topeka into the city- county Comprehensive Metropolitan Plan.

Those items will be on the agenda for the 7 p.m. business meeting of the council.

Prior to that will be two meetings at city hall involving council members.

One, sponsored by Councilwoman Vanessa Hill, will discuss the need for a safe place in Topeka for teenagers to hang out. That will be at 5:15 in room 354 at city hall.

Also at 5:30 p.m. in room 255 at city hall will be a meeting of the Economic Development Committee to discuss the Promote Topeka program and the Neighborhood Revitalization Act program in Topeka.

Several other meetings this week also will discuss city business.

The Public Health and Safety Committee will meet today and Wednesday, both days at 5:30 p.m. in room 255 at city hall, to hear claim appeals.

At 8 p.m. Wednesday city officials will meet with neighborhood residents to discuss traffic problems at S.W. 19th and Oakley.

The meeting will be in building 9 at the Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center.

The 7 p.m. Tuesday council meeting will be open to the public and will be carried live on cable channel 4. it will be reshown at 9 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday.

The agenda is:n Appointment of Denise Fastrup to the Downtown Business Improvement District.

- Presentation by the administration on efforts to arrange funding for the police helicopter program.

- Resolution authorizing the transfer of money from the contingency line item in the general fund to the police department for operation of the helicopter program.

- Resolution directing the police helicopters be given to Shawnee County for operation.

- Joint Topeka ordinance/Shawnee County resolution relating to planned unit development.

- Joint Topeka ordinance/Shawnee County resolution relating to bed and breakfast houses and bed and breakfast inns.

- Joint Topeka ordinance/Shawnee County resolution incorporating the North Topeka redevelopment plan into the Topeka-Shawnee County Comprehensive Metropolitan Plan.

- Joint Topeka ordinance/Shawnee County resolution requiring a conditional use permit to relocate, remodel or rebuild an existing billboard in a C-4 commercial district.

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