photo by: Rochelle Valverde/Journal-World

Lawrence City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., is pictured on Jan. 31, 2023.

In the coming weeks, the City of Lawrence will host a pair of engagement sessions where community members will be able to work together using the city’s online budget simulation tool to create a balanced budget for 2025.

The city announced the upcoming collaborative engagement sessions in a news release earlier this week. One of them will take place Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the auditorium at KU Innovation Park, 2033 Becker Drive. A second session will take place Wednesday, June 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Carnegie Building, 200 W. Ninth St.

At the sessions, community members will work together to use the budgeting tool, called “A Balancing Act.” As the Journal-World has reported, the tool is available for community members to use through May 31. This is the second year that the city has used the budget simulator to gather community feedback on funding priorities for the upcoming year.

“The city budget affects our entire community — every single person — which is why it’s important to our organization that we’re hearing from Lawrence residents about what they prioritize,” the release reads. “With ‘A Balancing Act,’ community members are able to make decisions and reallocate funds among departments. But keep in mind, anyone using the tool will need to balance their interests and priorities against competing priorities from other community members as they determine how to create a budget that fits the needs of the entire community.”

More information about this year’s budget process and the “A Balancing Act” tool are available on the city’s website.