After an exhaustive five-month process, Lawrence city commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved a $107.7 million budget for 2003.

But Commissioner Mike Rundle told his colleagues the city’s budgeting process still needed improvements, that copies of the proposed budget made available to the public lacked a good description of changes in how the city’s financial resources were being used. There were also, he said, “editing problems” with the budget.

“My concerns have been with the information in the budget, its completeness and accuracy,” he said. “The information (made available) at the library and the information on the Web site I don’t think have the same level of clarity we received.”

Commissioner Jim Henry agreed more work was needed but, like Rundle, he supported the budget’s passage.

“That’s something that could be addressable,” he said of Rundle’s concerns. “But I’m comfortable with the way it is.”

The 2003 budget represents a 6.6 percent increase from 2002’s approved spending levels of $101 million. It also includes a 0.8-mill increase in property taxes, to 25.57 mills. A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed valuation.

Commissioners started working on the budget in March, meeting with those in charge of city departments and outside agencies requesting funds to decide what commissioners would pay for and what they would cut.

In previous years, the city manager’s office did most of that heavy lifting before presenting the commission with a recommended budget. Commissioners could and did make changes to those recommendations in the past, but they said Tuesday that they appreciated the hands-on approach.

“This has been by far the best budget session I’ve experienced,” Henry said. “Instead of sitting back and being spoon-fed the information, we received a horrendously large amount of information.”

Mayor Sue Hack said Rundle’s concerns could be addressed as the budget process evolves.

“We’re not perfect,” she said, “but it’s something we’ll continue to work on.”