Lawrence City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., is pictured on May 3, 2016.

A discussion on city facilities at the City Commission’s work session Tuesday will be far-reaching, including a future police facility, public works campus, and potential purchase of the Riverfront Plaza.

The city currently operates out of nearly 50 facilities, with some departments split between multiple buildings. City Manager Tom Markus wants the city to take a more consolidated approach that he says will provide for much more efficient use of facilities, equipment and personnel.

“This is a 10,000-foot conversation next Tuesday, but what I want the commission to get into is understanding the value that we’re trying to create here with our long-term, much more systematic approach of consolidation,” Markus said. “And doing it in an incremental way.”

In November 2014, Lawrence voters narrowly rejected a citywide sales tax to fund a $28 million police facility. As part of Tuesday’s work session, the commission will discuss the creation of a new Facility Master Plan for the police department, which will include reassessing the department’s needs, selecting a build site and developing building plans. The plan calls for a phased-in construction process over multiple years.

One phase of the city’s new publics works facility has already been completed, but the commission will consider whether the plans for the 11-acre site could be expanded to include water and wastewater utilities and functions of the Parks and Recreation Department. In March, the commission voted to defer the decision on a $3 million bid to construct the second phase of the solid waste facility at 2215 Kresge Road in order to consider reconfiguring the project into a multi-department campus.

The third topic in the facilities discussion is the potential purchase or lease of the west side of the Riverfront Plaza, which is the former outlet mall directly east of City Hall. The development services side of the city’s Planning and Development Services Department and the municipal court both lease space. The commission will discuss the option of locating the court and the entire planning and development department, which is currently split between two buildings, in the Riverfront Plaza.

Markus said consolidating the city’s facilities can do more than save money, and that consolidation would also allow better communication among departments.

“I think you can actually enhance your service levels as a result of doing things that way, because you have departments that are somewhat disparate right now, in terms of location, able to better cross-connect in terms of their communication,” Markus said.

Mayor Leslie Soden agreed, and said there are multiple departments that could collaborate more if all the department’s staff were housed in the same building. Soden also noted that she thinks the city and county could save money on security by consolidating the municipal court, district court and the police department. That will be more important once the city’s exemption to the Kansas concealed carry law expires next year, and people will be allowed to have concealed weapons in public buildings that don’t provide security measures.

“It just makes more sense to put our money into protecting one location,” Soden said.

Soden also said she thinks facilities need to keep pace with population growth in the city. She said that has been a big issue with the police department’s facilities, but also applies to other departments.

“The police, like some of the other departments, are kind of bursting at the seams right now,” Soden said. “It’s important to keep in mind that adding residents to the city also means our local government expands to provide city services.”

Constructing or remodeling buildings, of course, calls for a lot of money up front, and in the past residents have not always been supportive. Markus said considering the defeat of the police facility in 2014, he doesn’t think the city can continue to look at things the same way. Still, Markus said a new approach to city facilities would be measured.

“Even though I’m advocating for consolidation, I’m advocating that it be done in an incremental fashion, because it can’t all be done all at once,” Markus said.

The City Commission will convene at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.