Questions about whether the city can provide adequate sewer service for new growth led the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce to call Tuesday for an independent audit of the city’s planning processes.

Approximately 20 members from the chamber’s board of directors attended Tuesday’s city commission meeting with frustrations that new developments won’t be allowed to receive building permits in the northwest area of town until further studies are completed next year on the area’s sewer system.

Shirley Martin-Smith, chairwoman of the chamber’s board of directors, told commissioners that the city should hire an independent auditor to get to the bottom of why there wasn’t better planning and oversight of the rapidly growing northwest area.

“We don’t want to spend a lot of time looking at the past, but we need to learn from our mistakes,” Martin-Smith said.

City commissioners stopped short of endorsing the idea, but said they would consider it.

“It might help me understand how we got here and how we can avoid this in the future,” City Commissioner Sue Hack said.

Martin-Smith also called on commissioners to expedite the study process. Martin-Smith said the chamber was concerned that the study could drag into the spring of 2006, creating costly uncertainty in the city’s construction industry.

“What we don’t want to have happen is people begin thinking we’re closed for business,” Martin-Smith said. “That is what the sense of urgency is about.”

City Commissioner Mike Amyx assured chamber members that city staff members had made the sewer issue their top priority. But he didn’t promise that the studies would be completed quickly.

“I want everybody to know that we understand the urgency of this, but we’re going to make sure that we do this right so we don’t make mistakes that may have been made in the past,” Amyx said.

There’s been concern in the development community that the city used inadequate population projections to plan for the sewer system in the northwest area. City Manager Mike Wildgen distributed a new report on the issue just prior to Tuesday’s meeting. The report included information that shows the disputed 2003 sewer master plan did call for significant growth rates in the city. It estimates that the entire city will have a population of 150,000 people by 2025.

Commissioners had not had a chance to review the new report in detail, but several commissioners sought to assure chamber members that the current sewer issue wasn’t the result of a “no-growth” attitude by policymakers.

“There is some willingness to believe that some members of this commission do not have an interest in seeing the community continue to grow,” City Commissioner David Schauner said. “I can assure you that couldn’t be further from the truth. I can assure you there is no one on this commission happy about this situation.”

Library leaders seek development ideas

Leaders of the Lawrence Public Library want to hear how private developers could become involved in expanding the downtown library, 707 Vt.

City commissioners were told at their Tuesday meeting that the library board is officially asking developers to propose possible public-private partnerships that could be used to expand the library.

Bruce Flanders, the library’s director, said that could mean using new retail, office or residential development on property adjacent to the new library to help make the overall project more feasible and attractive.

“We see the library as a potential engine for development or redevelopment in downtown,” Flanders said.

He said the library continued to focus on expanding near its current site, but he said the board would listen to proposals for other sites in the immediate area.

“There’s probably some give on moving it a block or two,” Flanders said.

He said he hopes any interested developers will express an interest to the library board in the next two weeks. He hopes to bring a report back to city commissioners, who must approve any expansion, by mid-January.

Stop sign approved on KU’s west campus

Commissioners agreed to allow the installation of a three-way stop sign at Constant Avenue and Becker Drive on Kansas University’s west campus.

The request, made by KU officials, previously was denied by the city’s Traffic Safety Commission. But city commissioners unanimously overturned the recommendation after hearing from KU officials that there was a sight distance problem at the intersection.

The city commission vote was 4-0. City Commissioner Mike Rundle was absent.

City revenue rises 7.5 percent over 2004

Commissioners were told that the city’s finances showed positive signs during the recently completed third quarter.

Ed Mullins, the city’s finance director, said property tax collections, sales taxes, court fees and water and sewer revenues were all up from a year ago. Overall, the city’s general fund revenues are up 7.5 percent – or $2.7 million – from a year ago.

Commissioners were told that revenues at the city’s Eagle Bend Golf Course had shown improvement, but the course was still expected to lose $80,000 to $90,000 this year.