To the editor:

As a Lawrence resident, it is extremely concerning to me that the city manager feels it necessary to propose a mill levy increase for the 2018 budget while the city is besieged with a backlog of under-recovered receivable accounts, which if collected could potentially offset the need for a 1.25 mill levy increase.

In addition, the city manager is again recommending elimination of the in-house city auditor position, which has in the past identified the referenced accounts receivable issues.

The city auditor’s line of reporting is to the City Commission for good reason. It is the city auditor’s responsibility to alert commissioners to significant issues, and it is the city manager’s responsibly, under direction of the City Commission, to implement (what appears to be much-needed) systemic city accounting improvements.