Moratorium re-extended

Lawrence city commissioners Tuesday extended a moratorium on annexing land in North Lawrence and in floodplains.

Commissioners first adopted the moratorium last fall to wait for the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission to come up with new regulations restricting floodplain development. The first moratorium expired Jan. 15; an extension passed in February expired July 15.

The new moratorium expires Oct. 15. The planning commission will take up the proposed regulations again Aug. 28.

Referendum pursued to outlaw roundabouts

Anti-roundabout activist Douglas Bowen told the Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday he will try to force a citywide referendum to outlaw the traffic-calming devices.

Bowen said Douglas County Clerk Patty Jaimes told him he needs the signatures of 2,075 registered Lawrence voters to put the measure on the ballot. He has appeared before commissioners numerous times since January in a failed attempt to persuade them to end roundabout construction.

“In other words, I want a referendum to find out if the voters of Douglas County want these monstrosities,” he said. “I don’t think they do. But if they do, you won’t hear another peep from me.”

Evaluation today

City Manager Mike Wildgen will find out today if commissioners believe he’s made sufficient progress in making city government more “user friendly.”

At his annual job evaluation in January, commissioners told Wildgen to make that transformation breaking with tradition and saying they would evaluate him again in six months.

The commission meets at 9 a.m. today at City Hall to discuss the future of fire houses in Lawrence. Immediately following (there is no set time), commissioners will withdraw into executive session to discuss Wildgen’s job performance.