Lawrence City Commissioner David Schauner said he’s concerned that new growth isn’t paying for itself and that the community should consider creating new development fees.

In a Journal-World online chat Friday, Schauner said he was pro-growth but had questions about whether the city was managing growth properly.

“My view is that if you include all costs driven by growth — including police, fire, library, infrastructure replacement and schools in the cost of new growth — new development does not pay its own way,” Schauner said. “However, growth is not a bad thing if managed properly.”

Schauner said a cost-of-growth study the city currently is conducting could recommend new city fees that would help pay for growth. Schauner said other cities have successfully used platting fees and a requirement that new developments provide land for parks as a condition of zoning and subdivision approval.

In other issues, Schauner — general counsel for the Topeka-based Kansas National Education Assn. — said:

¢ He continued to strongly support the city’s smoking ban. “A local doctor told me after we passed the smoking ban that we had saved more lives that he would have saved in an entire career of practicing medicine,” Schauner said.

¢ The community had an “obligation” to provide a 21st century library facility to the public. He said he would prefer expanding the library at its current downtown site.

¢ He still believed in the concept of roundabouts but thought the city should revisit its policy of placing roundabouts in established neighborhoods.

Schauner is one of nine candidates seeking three at-large seats on the commission. A March 1 primary will narrow the field to six candidates. The general election will be April 5.