Lawrence city commissioners want to be clear that they intend to sell some city property if indeed the city spends $2.25 million to buy a vacant 47-acre tract to house a new $28 million police headquarters.

Commissioners at their Tuesday evening meeting unanimously approved a resolution that says the city intends to sell the Investigations and Training Center at Bob Billings Parkway and Wakarusa Drive, if voters on Nov. 4 approve a sales tax to fund a new police facility.

The city’s pending purchase of the 47-acre site near the Kansas Turnpike interchange on McDonald Drive has sparked concern among some members of the public because of its $2.25 million price, and also because the city only needs about 15 acres for the police headquarters. But the property’s owner, Hallmark Cards, has refused to sell the city a smaller portion of the property.

The city has said it intends to sell off some of the excess property on the Hallmark site and some other existing city property to help offset the costs of the Hallmark property. Commissioners approved the resolution on Tuesday after at least one member of the public questioned whether the city really would follow through on those plans.

The resolution states the city’s intent to sell the property to recoup a portion of the Hallmark costs, but it does not legally bind the city to do so. It is difficult for the City Commission to force a future City Commission to take an action, such as selling property. But the resolution states the City Commission “intends, at its discretion,” to sell property to “off-set some or all” of the costs of the Hallmark property.

“Anything we can do to make it as clear and as concise as we can helps with the education process,” said Mayor Mike Amyx. “There should be no question of the intent of the governing body.”

In other news, commissioners passed a resolution that gives the property owner at 608 Kentucky St. until Dec. 15 to repair a deteriorating two-story porch. The property owner, Bonita Yoder, has hired a construction crew that has begun work on the porch. If the project isn’t completed by Dec. 15, the city could begin the process of repairing the structure and assessing the costs to Yoder’s property tax bill. City inspectors previously determined the porch was unsafe.