Lawrence city commissioners decided Tuesday that they will ask Lawrence residents to vote on whether to approve a .05% sales tax increase to fund homelessness programs. Otherwise, much of the 2025 city budget is still up for discussion. Commissioners heard from more than 30 people during their budget hearing, most asking them not to increase property taxes. Many also asked commissioners to maintain funding to staff Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical fire trucks with four staff members rather than cutting staff for each truck to three, as the city manager’s budget had proposed. In their discussion, commissioners considered ways to save on costs and potentially lessen tax increases, such as using fund balances — essentially the city’s savings accounts, or funds kept on hand in case of emergencies. They agreed that spending fund balances was not sustainable but thought it could help get through a particularly difficult year when sales tax revenues came in far below what the city anticipated. Commissioner Brad Finkeldei summarized items the commission would like city staff members to look into and bring back for further discussion: Funding 149 total operational staff for Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, and staffing each fire truck with four people; Adding one LDCFM deputy chief; Funding non-sworn personnel for the Lawrence Police Department; Postponing the start of construction of new fire stations by one year; Looking at using special funds to fix some playgrounds; Authorizing Parks and Recreation to look into advertising and sponsorships; Charging the University of Kansas for false fire alarm calls; and Decreasing the amounts of raises some city staff members will receive. Here’s the full text of the question commissioners approved to put on the ballot: “Shall the City of Lawrence, Kansas be authorized to repeal the 2019 Sales Tax in the amount of five one-hundredths of one percent (0.05%) in the City of Lawrence, Kansas, and replace it with the levying of a new special purpose retailers’ sales tax in the amount of one tenth of one percent (0.1%) for the purposes of (1) providing and improving the quality, availability, and affordability of housing in Lawrence, acquiring land for future affordable housing units, investing in private/public partnerships for the provision of affordable housing, and such other related affordable housing purposes as may be in the best interest of the City, and (2) providing temporary emergency shelter for persons experiencing homelessness and related services including but not limited to providing food, laundry, transportation, storage, non-prescription medical supplies, case management, and outreach services as well as homeless prevention services including but not limited to rent stabilization funding, utility assistance, assistance obtaining government identification cards, government benefits, and such other related programs and services for persons experiencing homelessness as may be in the best interest of the City, the collection of such sales tax to commence on April 1, 2025 and shall terminate ten years after its commencement, all in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 12-187 et seq. and amendments thereto?”
Source: The Lawrence Times
