The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce wants to update the image it delivers to prospective businesses, and it’s asking taxpayers to help pick up the tab.

Lynn Parman, the chamber’s vice president for economic development, next week will ask Lawrence and Douglas County commissioners to cover most of the estimated $50,000 bill for creating a new economic development marketing brochure.

Parman is asking the city for $20,000 and the county for $20,000. She’s hoping to collect at least another $10,000 from businesses in the area, such as Aquila and other utilities.

The idea is to jump-start the chamber’s drive for bringing new jobs to the area, whether it’s in Lawrence, Baldwin, Eudora or Lecompton. And that means making a refined, attractive and informative pitch to company officials, site consultants and other influential business leaders, Parman said.

“There are 15,000 economic-development organizations across the country, and all are competing for 100 to 200 projects annually,” Parman said. “We have to stand out.”

The new brochure would have three elements designed to sell prospective companies and their representatives on the Lawrence area and its educated work force, high quality of life and diversified business opportunities, Parman said:

 A business relocation packet. Parman said she would likely distribute 1,000 of these yearly, highlighting basic demographic facts, infrastructure features and other information considered vital for businesses looking for a new home.

 An “at-a-glance” county profile. Officials would use about 2,500 of these two-sided pamphlets each year, to be distributed at trade shows and through mailings.

 A proposal cover, for use on formal relocation offers directed to specific prospects.

Since joining the chamber in July, Parman said she’d been working with 30 prospects for locating in Lawrence, plus another 11 companies already in the county looking to expand.

None received the chamber’s existing economic development brochure, which includes dated photos of the Kansas University football team with Jayhawks on their helmets.

“We don’t send them out to prospects anymore because they’re so old,” she said.

Whether the justification will sell at City Hall and the Douglas County Courthouse remains to be seen. Charles Jones, a county commissioner whose district represents much of Lawrence, said he would wait to hear Parman’s pitch.

“It raises a lot of questions,” he said.

City commissioners will consider the request at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts. County commissioners will hear from Parman at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday at the courthouse, 1100 Mass.