Topeka Mayor hopes to see city implement local preference legislation

Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla advocates having the city government implement legislation that would give preference to local companies in its procurement decisions, she said Tuesday.

De La Isla said she and city manager Brent Trout were working out the details of a proposal that would put such an arrangement in place while also providing preference to companies that employ a diverse workforce.

But the city wouldn’t choose a local company over an out-of-town one in some situations, such as if that meant the city had to spend “a million more dollars,” De La Isla said.