The budget-cutting knife was out at City Hall, but it wasn’t quite sharp enough to avoid a property tax increase for Lawrence residents.

Commissioners unanimously agreed to move forward on a 2015 city budget that will increase the property tax rate by 1.479 mills. But that’s less than a 1.89 mill increase than had been proposed initially.

The new figures will produce a tax increase of about $28 a year for a $170,000 home.

The vote by commissioners sets the maximum mill levy for the 2015 budget, but does not yet give final approval to the budget. Commissioners are expected to give final approval to the budget in early August.

Commissioners spent more than two hours going line by line over the city’s general operating fund, and no item was safe. Commissioners started by cutting the $19,000 that had been set aside to fund future salary increases for city commissioners, which were set to begin with the three commissioners who win the April 2015 election.

“We knew what the pay was when we came into this position,” Mayor Mike Amyx said. “If we’re going to ask others to take a hit, then this body needs to do the same.”

And then the hits started coming: A cut of $20,000 that would have funded additional hours for a city clerk administrative position; $40,000 that would have funded a new roof for a public works salt dome; $55,500 for a proposed public works inspector position.

A major theme of the evening was to tell city departments to think again about the need for new vehicles. The city’s planning and development services division was told to acquire used police cars from the city’s fleet instead of buying three new cars to start the city’s new rental inspection program. The public works department was told to continue using a maintenance truck at the Lawrence Municipal Airport that has about 135,000 miles on it.

That’s nothing, some commissioners said. Commissioner Bob Schumm said his personal truck had about 235,000 miles on it.

The cuts to the proposed budget came after commissioners heard public comment from those concerned about the city’s spending plan.

“We have had a lot of talk recently about making Lawrence more livable and attracting retirees,” said Patrick Wilbur, a Lawrence resident. “I think that is going to be difficult if we keep pushing up that property tax. I don’t see this budget as friendly to attracting people to Lawrence.”

Commissioners also heard some concern about adding new city positions, but commissioners agreed to keep one of the larger new employee positions, an approximately $100,000 expense for a new director of arts and culture.

Among other budget decisions:

• Commissioners agreed to fund $120,000 for the city’s K-10 Connector bus service that runs between Lawrence and Johnson County. City Manager David Corliss had recommended $200,000 in funding because Johnson County officials said they had concerns about subsidizing the service at current levels. It wasn’t clear whether Johnson County officials, which pay about $700,000 for the service, would reduce its 2015 funding for the service.

• Agreed to provide $6,000 in funding for the social service agencies Warm Hearts and its heating assistance program, $35,000 for Van Go Mobile Arts and its youth program, and $4,000 for the Lawrence Alliance to fund the city’s Festival of Cultures and diversity training.