Agenda highlights • 6:35 p.m. Tuesday • City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts streets • Sunflower Broadband Channel 25 • Meeting documents online at www.lawrenceks.org

Bottom line

Leaders with the police department and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical will brief city commissioners on a host of federal grants the agencies are seeking.

Background

The police department is applying for federal funding to hire four new police officers as part of a program that is tied to the federal stimulus package. The federal grant would cover all salary and benefit costs for new officers for three years. After that, the city would be responsible for the salaries and benefits.

Fire Medical is requesting more than $1.8 million in federal grants for a variety of projects. They include: $350,000 to help cover some of the costs to purchase a new ladder truck for the department; $175,000 to provide video conferencing for each of the city’s fire departments; $168,464 to purchase smoke alarms to distribute to households that currently don’t have smoke detectors; and $1.2 million to remodel Fire Station No. 1 downtown.

Other business

Recognition

• Proclaim the week of May 3-9 as National Music Week in Lawrence.

• Proclaim Saturday, May 9, as Sertoma Bar-B-Q Cook-Off Day.

• Proclaim the month of May as Mental Health Month.

• Proclaim the month of May as Tennis Month.

• Recognition of Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission 2009 Grant Award Recipients.

Consent agenda

• Approve City Commission meeting minutes from April 14.

• Receive minutes from various boards and commissions.

• Approve all claims.

• Approve licenses as recommended by the Department of Administrative Services.

• Bid and purchase items:

a.) Waive bidding requirements and approve sole source purchase of one set (power unit, spreader, cutter, short ram, long ram, and two hoses) of Genesis hydraulic rescue tools from RAW Enterprises for the Fire Medical Department, for $29,650.

b.) Waive bidding requirements and approve sole source purchase of water meters for the Utilities Department from Midwest Meter for $166,440 for the implementation of the 2009 Meter Replacement Program.

• Adopt these ordinances on first reading:

a.) Ordinance No. 8390, allowing the possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages at Burcham Park on May 23 related to the Patten-Hill family wedding rehearsal dinner.

b.) Ordinance No. 8392, authorizing the sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic beverages at Broken Arrow Park on May 8-9 for the Lawrence Sertoma BBQ Cook-off and fundraiser.

c.) Ordinance No. 8339, authorizing the city’s use of eminent domain authority and condemning the required property interests for the Burroughs Creek Trail.

• Adopt on second and final reading Ordinance No. 8388, amending (TA-04-03-08) and enacting sections of Chapter 20 of the Lawrence City Code (Land Development Code) pertaining to certain Community Facilities (Temporary Shelters and Social Service Agencies).

• Approve traffic-calming on Ousdahl Road between 25th and 26th streets. There is no identified funding for this improvement at this time.

• Authorize mayor to sign a subordination agreement for Donna Williams and Jean Dixon, 1601 Kenwood.

• Receive staff memo and approve formation of a Douglas County-Lawrence Complete Count Committee to assist in publicity for the 2010 Census.

• Approve agreement with Lawrence Freenet to install wireless devices on city light poles in the downtown area.

• Approve distribution of the Healthcare plan request for proposals.

• Receive city manager’s report.

Regular agenda

• Consider deferring the second and final reading of Ordinance No. 8387, for the Rezoning (Z-2-2-09) of 1725 N.H. from RM24 (Multi-Dwelling Residential) to CS (Commercial Strip), until such time as the contract purchaser commits to close on the purchase of the property, or Sept. 15, 2009, whichever is sooner.

• Receive 2008 Health Department Annual Report.

• Receive 2008 Tax Abatement Report.

• Conduct public hearing to discuss condition of the dilapidated structure at 1207 E. 13th St. and consider declaring the structure unsafe and dangerous and ordering its repair or removal within a specified period of time.

• Consider these items related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

a.) Consider approving sole source purchase of at least 44 handheld and 33 mobile digital radios utilizing the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for the Police Department, for $278,376.12.

b.) Receive status update on the 2009 COPS Hiring Recovery Program Grant Submission.

c.) Receive staff memo regarding the Assistance to Firefighters Grant for the Fire Medical Department.

d.) Receive status report on possible city of Lawrence energy-related stimulus grant.

• Receive recommendations from the Fuels Task Force regarding incorporating alternative fuels into the city’s transit fleet and authorize staff to proceed with the purchase of transit vehicles pursuant to those recommendations.

• Consider approving a petition to the Douglas County Commission for annexation of the former Farmland Industries property on Kansas Highway 10, east of Lawrence.