News and notes from around town:

• Today’s news that the city has narrowed its search for a new police chief to five candidates made me remember that we haven’t heard much lately on the idea of a police department audit. In October, City Auditor Michael Eglinski delivered a report to commissioners suggesting 10 possible audit topics for the department. Eglinski said the three topics he would place the highest priority on were:

• A review of the department’s workload.

• The department’s process for handling complaints.

• The department’s methods for measuring its performance.

City commissioners at the time said they wanted more time to consider what particular topic they wanted Eglinski to focus on. They indicated a decision would be made by the end of the year.

But Eglinski said Monday that the timing is now less certain. He said he expects the topic to come up again when he present his next 12-month work plan to the commission. But he’s not entirely sure when that will be because he still has several audits left to complete on his current work plan.

Eglinski said it is possible commissioners may choose to wait until after the April city commission elections to discuss the issue again.

In case you are wondering, audit topics that Eglinski currently has on his list to complete include:

• A review of the city’s fee and charges policy.

• A review of the specifications the city uses to construct streets.

• A look at how the city manages it payments to outside vendors.

• A review of the city’s capital budget and planning processes.

• While we’re talking about police issues, the department says it received no complaints of racial profiling in 2010. The department, like all across the state, is required to prepare a racial profiling report for the Attorney General’s office that details any profiling complaints and how they were handled. In 2009, the department received two complaints but an investigation by the department found both complaints to be unfounded.

• Time is getting short for people who want to run for the Lawrence City Commission. The deadline to file is noon Tuesday at the City Clerk’s office at City Hall. Four people have filed for three seats on the commission. Commissioner Mike Dever is the only incumbent in the race at this point. Both Commissioners Rob Chestnut and Lance Johnson have not yet filed. There will need to be at least seven candidates in order for a primary election to be held on March 1. The general election will be April 5. If the numbers of candidates remains at four, it will be the smallest field in quite some time. I’ve been covering the City Commission since 1994, and there have always been at least six candidates for each election during that time.

• Lawrence-Douglas County planning commissioners will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall. Their agenda is relatively light. Items include:

• A final development plan for Crossgate Drive Casitas, a 46-unit, multi-family development at 2451 Crossgate Drive.

• The rezoning of 1701 Mass. from single-family residential to single-dwelling residential office. The property is the former site of the First Church of Christ Scientists. But as we’ve previously reported, a veterinary practice that specializes in cat care wants to go into the vacant church building.

• A new map has been put together at Lawrence City Hall that shows where the city spent its street maintenance dollars in 2010. The city spent about $5.1 million on street maintenance in 2010, with projects including crack sealing, microsurfacing, pavement overlays and concrete patching. Here’s a map that shows which areas of town received the work in 2010.

• In case it ever comes up in a trivia contest … Lawrence city crews on Thursday removed approximately 9,200 cubic yards of snow — or about 7,100 tons — from Downtown Lawrence. Downtown — because of its parking issues — gets plowed different from other parts of the city. The snow gets pushed to the middle of the roads, and then crews scoop it up and haul it off. The snow gets stored on city property to melt — at least that’s the hope.

What town talk are you hearing? Send me a tip at clawhorn@ljworld.com.