To the editor:

I commend the city manager for refusing a salary increase and question the City Commission’s position for even suggesting it. The commission’s attitude of spending, along with that of other local governing boards, appears oblivious of the financial condition of many area residents. A Feb. 1 AP story stated that the national payroll dropped by 17,000 jobs in January. I have not seen any figures, but we all know that the drop in new home construction has impacted the Lawrence job market.

The city and county commissioners, along with the school board members, need to read Mike Hoeflich’s Jan. 30 column. You can paraphrase his statement by saying “if Lawrence is going to continue to prosper, the governing boards need to stop spending money irresponsibly.” The school board needs to place their dreams on hold. Give the teachers a raise and table the artificial turf, lighted stadiums and practice fields. Place the emphasis on education, not entertainment. The city needs to maintain what they have and stop building roundabouts, running empty buses and giving money they don’t have to any group that comes to them with their hand out. The county commissioners must remember that they are obligated to the whole of Douglas County and not just Lawrence.

Any tax increase has a negative effect on the community. Every dollar taken for taxes is removed from the homeowner’s spendable income and adversely affects both the retail community and the homeowner’s ability to pay down debt.

Chuck Thomsen,

Lawrence