The Lawrence City Commission needs to ramp up its consideration of key city issues.

The new mayor’s been sworn in. We’ve heard a State of the City address from the previous mayor. And two new members have been seated on the Lawrence City Commission.

So it’s time for city commissioners to get back to work.

During the past couple of months, the City Commission hasn’t tackled many weighty issues.

It’s not crystal clear why the City Commission agendas have contained few items of substance.

Perhaps it was a reluctance on the part of the city to handle major issues during a time that many in Lawrence had hoped they’d be watching the Kansas University basketball team play in the NCAA tournament.

But it’s also possible that the City Commission didn’t want to address any issues before last week’s city election. If that’s the case, it’s unacceptable.

Unlike their counterparts in Washington, D.C., the work of elected officials in Lawrence should not grind to a halt before an election. Commissioners shouldn’t adopt an attitude of “let the next group of commissioners grapple with this one.”

The residents of Lawrence expect and deserve better.