Lawrence needs more ammunition if it hopes to defend itself from becoming a bedroom community where thousands of residents leave town every day to go to work.

That’s the message being pitched to city and county commissioners as the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce seeks a 60 percent increase in public funding for the community’s economic development marketing program.

“It is one thing to say you don’t want to be a bedroom community, but it is another thing to not let it happen,” said Beth Johnson, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce vice president of economic development. “It takes a lot of work. Companies just don’t come here and beat your door down.”

Chamber leaders are seeking $145,000 in additional public funding for the marketing program. The city would be asked to fund $70,700 of the increase, while the county would be asked to pick up $75,534 of the increase.

Some commissioners have questions, though. A city committee already has recommended that the city commission fund only $20,000 of the increase.

“I would have liked for the folks who made the request to have given us a little more outside-the-box thinking,” said City Commissioner David Schauner, who was on the committee that reviewed the chamber’s request along with all other requests from agencies seeking city funding.

Schauner said he’s not sure that simply increasing the ability of the chamber to spread the word about Lawrence will produce results. Instead, he said, he wants the city to study other communities that have had proven success in attracting businesses.

“I would look very favorably at an aggressive plan, because as a community, we need more people working in Lawrence,” Schauner said.

City Commissioner Sue Hack said money, not more study, is what’s really needed.

“We can’t continue to preach that we don’t want to become a bedroom community without putting the money behind the effort,” Hack said.

Hack said she would lobby commissioners to fund the chamber’s full request. But she won’t be voting on it because she is a part-time chamber employee, serving as Leadership Lawrence director.

Johnson said the additional money would be used to help develop a specific marketing plan, bring in more site selection specialists to tour the community, and to send chamber staff to more trade shows and conventions to spread the word about Lawrence and Douglas County. She said the additional money was needed because the competition for new companies had become more intense.

“You can’t just promote your community’s quality of life anymore,” Johnson said. “Every community says they have a good quality of life. We have to come up with a clear concise message to tell everybody that we’re here and we’re ready to play with the big boys.”

The city and county both received the requests as part of their 2007 budget deliberations. Both commissions are expected to finalize their budgets in early August.