Utility rate hikes proposed for 2020 would increase the average Lawrence household’s bill to about $103 per month, and some city leaders are asking whether such a steep increase is actually necessary.

City utility bills are made up of charges for water, solid waste and stormwater, and rates for all three services would increase as part of the budget recommended by City Manager Tom Markus. The recommended budget calls for an 8% rate increase for water, a 3% rate increase for solid waste and a 3% rate increase for stormwater. The utility rate increases would amount to a $78 annual increase for the average resident, or an approximately 6.7% increase over this year.

Read more: LJWorld.com.

The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the state’s newest education funding plan is constitutional.

The plan, which was approved in April, increased K-12 education funding by roughly $90 million.

The years-long saga began when four school districts sued Kansas in 2010. Before Friday, the state Supreme Court had issued six rulings directing lawmakers to increase the state’s spending in a little more than five years, so that aid to public schools now tops $4 billion a year. The court said in an order last year that a 2018 law promising additional funding increases into the future wasn’t sufficient because it hadn’t accounted for inflation.

(Read more: LJ World)

There is a large contingent of city attorneys being educated and updated today in Wichita. Twice a year, the City Attorneys Association of Kansas puts on a CLE (continuing legal education) seminar to keep municipal attorneys up-to-date on the latest developments in case law, legislation and best practices.