City officials should look seriously at U.S. Census figures that show a small decline in Lawrence’s population but they shouldn’t take action that turns that decline into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Census report released Wednesday showed 59 fewer people in Lawrence this year than last year. That’s a decline of less than one tenth of one percent, but it gets the attention of local residents who are accustomed to the city’s rapid growth in recent years.

As City Manager David Corliss said, the figures give the city a reason to look at major infrastructure projects like the new sewer plant south of the Wakarusa River, but the city should be careful not to overreact. The best way to assure that the city doesn’t grow is to clamp down too hard on the expansion of utilities and other infrastructure that makes new residential and business development possible.

On the other hand, the stagnant population figures are a good reminder that Lawrence’s future growth and prosperity are not guaranteed. Housing costs are high here and we are too dependent on residential property taxes to fund local government. Many Lawrence residents commute to other cities to work because they can’t find suitable employment here and too many people who work in Lawrence choose to live other places primarily because they can find a lower cost of living.

The only way to counter that trend it to bring more business to Lawrence. New business development will provide jobs for local residents and help build the tax base to share the local property tax rate.

Lawrence is an attractive community and benefits greatly from the influence of Kansas University and the many entertainment and cultural activities the university brings to the city. But, as much as many people like Lawrence, other factors intervene. High gasoline costs may make it less feasible for some people to make a daily commute from Lawrence to their jobs in other cities. If wages in local jobs don’t match up with the local cost of living, people have to make difficult choices.

It’s not bad for city officials to view the small population decline seriously and with some urgency. Simply cutting back on plans for growth, however, means that we’ve accepted a future of decline rather than taking on the challenge of building the dynamic future we all want for Lawrence.