The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday backed away from a proposal to fund the school district’s sports programs in 2004.

Mayor David Dunfield said the city should look instead at a sales tax for schools, like one passed in Johnson County, to help the schools with their budget woes. Paying for school programs out of the city’s property and sales tax revenues is technically difficult, he said.

“And finally, the magnitude of the city’s own budget problems, I think, makes it essential that we take care of city employees and city services first,” Dunfield said. “I think the school district understands that situation.”

But, he said, the city, county and school districts should join forces to find a solution for 2005.

Dunfield’s announcement came just a week after he joined an apparent majority of the commission in endorsing the proposal for the city to pay for school athletics.

The $1.4 million cost of those programs would have translated to a little more than 2 mills of property tax — or roughly $34.50 a year in additional taxes for the owner of a home valued at $150,000. A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 in assessed valuation.

Commissioners said state law didn’t allow the city to directly fund school district educational activities. Paying for athletics, they said, would allow the district to shift its sports budget to classroom programs.

During the week after the decision, a growing number of city employees — who may not get a pay raise this year — grumbled that city leaders were letting them suffer to help the schools. None was willing to comment on the record.

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Dunfield, Commissioner Mike Rundle and City Manager Mike Wildgen met Monday with school officials to discuss school funding. Dunfield walked away from the meeting with a changed mind.

“The complications and uncertainties involved for both sides are enormous,” he said.

Commissioner David Schauner agreed, saying the issue had become turbulent in the community.

“I think it’s the right decision,” Schauner said. “I’ve probably received more comment … about this particular issue than anything else during my short tenure on this body.”

Commissioner Sue Hack, who initiated the proposal, was absent Tuesday on a trip out of the country.

Dunfield said Tuesday’s decision was not the end of city support for schools. But more planning and investigation is needed, he said.

“I know the community wants to support education,” Dunfield said. “I believe we need a clear community process for providing that support, not an ad hoc effort, however well-intentioned it may be.”