photo by: Journal-World Photo Illustration

Lawrence Journal-World Editorial

It makes sense for the city of Lawrence and Douglas County to at least explore a merger. After all, such a unified government could eliminate duplication of services and result in efficiencies that require less in tax support.

During a discussion at a City Commission meeting last week, city officials said there could be clear benefits from a unified government. Already, the city and county partner to fund services such as Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, Planning and Development Services and the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department.

“There are certain things that I think align maybe better than others, but of the six places I’ve worked, this place to me has the most likelihood of success in something like (a unified city and county government),” Lawrence City Manager Tom Markus said. “You have one major dominant community in the entire county that is the majority of the population (and) a significant portion of the property valuation. I just think that there’s a lot of opportunity there.”

Already, the city and county are working on a review of existing agreements, which Markus and County Administrator Craig Weinaug said would be key to fostering city and county relations. The two entities have not always been on the same page.

“Once you have re-established a history of being successful, then you might have set up an environment to make more aggressive collaborations,” Weinaug said.

A merger would not be easy. It would require voter approval from residents living in Lawrence and, separately, approval from residents in the unincorporated areas of Douglas County. Previous merger efforts in Kansas have failed far more often than they have succeeded.

Weinaug noted that people in unincorporated Douglas County generally have concerns that their interests would not be adequately represented by a unified government.

There are models to follow — Kansas City, Kan., and Wyandotte County have merged, as have the city of Tribune and Greeley County. Both are significantly different from Lawrence, but city and county officials could learn from the experiences of those communities.

It may be that merging the city of Lawrence with Douglas County isn’t a practical idea. Still, we’ll never know until city and county leaders have the discussion.