The Lawrence Times

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday said it’s important to keep City Hall downtown before voting 3-2 against the purchase of a building near Sixth and Iowa to become the city’s new home. City staff members had asked the commission to approve the purchase of a building, at 2000 Bluffs Drive, that would require an estimated $11.7 million in remodeling on top of a $4.2 million purchase agreement. That’s $15.9 million total, which is almost $4 million more than the commission had budgeted, so a future budget amendment would be necessary. The current City Hall, at 6 E. Sixth St., was built [...]

There’s a lot of confusion around the “form of government” ballot question that, if voters approve, could make the city commission into a four-district city council with a nonvoting, directly elected mayor, among other things. The question (as well as one asking to increase the sales tax to support affordable housing and homelessness initiatives) will be on city voters’ Tuesday, Nov. 5 general election ballots. Here’s the text of the question: “Shall the City of Lawrence, Kansas, abandon the Commission-Manager form of government and adopt a Modified Mayor-Council Manager form of government and become a city operating under a Modified Mayor-Council [...]

The City of Lawrence started its Downtown Ambassador Program to get parking staff back to work during the pandemic. Since its return in July 2023, the program has aimed to keep the cultural hub of Lawrence clean, beautified and welcoming. This year alone, parking staff and volunteers have removed more than 1,000 graffiti tags, collected more than 15,000 gallons of trash, maintained more than 200 pieces of city infrastructure and helped more than 200 visitors around the downtown area. Source: The Lawrence Times

Desensitization to violence and social media usage among youth are contributing to an influx of alleged gun threats aimed at Lawrence schools, according to the school district and police. School shootings continue to afflict communities — the most recent to capture national attention occurring at a Georgia high school on Sept. 4 and resulted in four deaths. Laura McCabe, a spokesperson for the Lawrence Police Department, said the department is maintaining long-standing relationships with FBI task force partners, Lawrence Public Schools administrators, the National School Resource Officer Association, and additional agencies to keep students and staff safe. Source: The Lawrence Times

The Douglas County Commission on Wednesday approved a pilot program aimed at providing property tax relief to older people with low incomes and veterans who are disabled. The Low-Income Senior and Disabled Veteran Property Tax Rebate Pilot Program is designed to assist eligible homeowners by offering a rebate on their property taxes. The maximum rebate amount is $300 per household or the county portion of the property tax, whichever is less. Source: The Lawrence Times

Area law enforcement calls will no longer be broadcast on emergency radios — aka scanners — starting Tuesday, Oct. 15. The change means that for most law enforcement incidents within Lawrence city limits, there will be nowhere for the public to turn for immediate information. That includes media — reporters will not be able to access law enforcement’s radio traffic to cover incidents as they’re unfolding and help inform the public, either. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced the planned change Tuesday morning. Source: The Lawrence Times

A major change to the structure of Lawrence’s city government is on the upcoming general election ballot, and voters will have a chance to learn more about the potential impact. The discussion is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3 in the Lawrence Public Library auditorium, 707 Vermont St. If Lawrence voters approve, the proposal would introduce four district seats and two at-large seats on the Lawrence City Commission, along with a directly elected mayor. A panel will explore the pros and cons of the potential change, featuring former city commissioner Courtney Shipley and former candidate Dustin Stumblingbear, co-hosts [...]

Lawrence city commissioners will vote next month on an agreement to purchase a building near Sixth and Iowa streets to serve as the new city hall. The proposed building, at 2000 Bluffs Drive, would provide about 50,000 square feet of space and would require an estimated $11.7 million in remodeling on top of a $4.2 million purchase agreement. That’s $15.9 million total. The current City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., was dedicated in 1980. At 35,544 square feet, it’s no longer big enough to hold the city workforce, according to presenters during the meeting. Commissioners have included $12 million in their [...]

The Kansas secretary of state said in a letter to the U.S. postmaster general that approximately 1,000 August primary voters in Kansas were disenfranchised because ballots mailed before Election Day in August arrived in county offices more than three days after the deadline or without an essential postmark. Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who serves as the state’s chief elections officer, told Postmaster General Louis DeJoy there was cause to be “extremely concerned” about “a troubling pattern that persists in the U.S. Postal Service’s processing and handling of ballots.” He send the same letter to the six members of [...]

Many questions have surfaced in the days since the city announced a new policy to prioritize Douglas County residents with homelessness services — among them, how does someone without an address prove they live here? The City of Lawrence this week shared details of a policy that’s actually been implemented over the past few months. Under the policy, the city provides “non-resident homeless individuals” with short-term assistance and helps them return to their “place of origin,” according to a city news release. Misty Bosch-Hastings, director of the city’s Homeless Solutions Division, answered questions about the policy, its purpose and how it’s [...]