It’s $190 and counting.

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday took no steps to reduce a proposed 1.85 mill levy increase for the 2015 budget. Combined with a 3.85 mill levy increase proposed by the county, plus increases in the city’s water, sewer and trash rates, the average Lawrence homeowner would see an approximately $190 per year increase in the taxes and utility fees they pay to local government.

“It is tough, it really is,” Mayor Mike Amyx said.

The combined mill levy increase of 5.7 mills would be the largest for local taxpayers since 2001. And the increases may not be done yet. The Lawrence school district hasn’t yet indicated what it may do with its mill levy, and the city’s 2015 budget doesn’t include any new taxes for a proposed $30 million police headquarters building. Instead, voters in November likely will be asked to approve a package of sales tax or sales and property tax increases to pay for the headquarters. Commissioners will need to decide what to put on the ballot by the end of August.

Based on current figures, the owner of a $170,000 home is expected to pay an extra $36 per year in city property taxes, $75 per year in county property taxes, $44 a year in increased water and sewer fees for a home that uses about 6,000 gallons of water per month, and $33 a year for increased trash rates that will help pay for the city’s curbside recycling program.

Several city commissioners on Tuesday left no doubt what they believe has put the city in the position of raising taxes.

“I think a lot of it has to do with state government shifting costs and saying they are saving money,” said City Commissioner Terry Riordan. “But they’re just shifting the costs to the local level.”

The most specific example the city has pointed to in that regard are rising costs to participate in state pension funds for public employees and police and firefighters. But the city’s pension costs and overhead costs also have been rising because city employee totals have been increasing. The 2015 budget would bring the total to about 805 full-time equivalent positions, up from about 773 prior to the economic downturn in 2008.

The 2015 budget calls for nine new positions, including a director of arts and culture, a municipal court clerk, three public works inspectors, a police sergeant, an information technology manager, an accountant and an inspector for the rental registration program.

Commissioners at their Tuesday study session questioned the need for three new public works inspectors, but were told that an increase in building projects is putting a strain on the city’s inspection capabilities.

Commissioners are scheduled to vote on total spending and taxation levels at their July 22 meeting. Among the other budget items discussed Tuesday included:

• Commissioners said they were split on providing $200,000 in funding for the K-10 Connector bus service that runs between Lawrence and Johnson County. The service is run by Johnson County, and currently receives $120,000 in funding from the city. Johnson County has asked for $200,000 in funding, and City Manager David Corliss has included the funding in his recommended budget. Commissioners, though, have expressed concern that Kansas University and Johnson County Community College don’t fund the bus service even though their students are the largest rider group. Commissioners said they wanted to have more discussions in coming weeks about whether the service should receive the additional $80,000 in funding.

• Commissioners will consider using $40,000 in city money to provide “seed money” for a marketing effort by Douglas County Senior Services to attract more retirees to the community. The group asked for about $162,500 for the marketing program. Commissioners agreed that amount wasn’t feasible for 2015, but also agreed to discuss $40,000 in funding that previously had been set aside for economic development purposes.

• Commissioners tentatively agreed to remove $17,500 in funding that had been recommended for Harvesters, the Kansas City-based food bank. Commissioners agreed to shift $10,000 of the funding to the Douglas County Dental Clinic to fully fund its $15,000 request. Riordan made the recommendation to remove the funding, but Commissioner Jeremy Farmer urged the change as well. Farmer is the director of the Lawrence-based food bank Just Food. Farmer said he was not confident the Harvesters money would be fully spent in Douglas County. Harvesters had said in its application that it planned on using the money to fund a program that provided food to children on weekends.