photo by: Bremen Keasey

Lawrence's City Hall, located at 6 E. Sixth St., shown during June 2025.

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will vote on the city’s final 2026 budget — and on whether to raise the property tax rate to reduce the impact of cuts to public safety, parks and recreation and other areas.

As the Journal-World has reported, discussions about the budget have gone on since January, in part because of a need to close a $6.5 million budget hole. Now, the commission will have three main scenarios to choose from for its final budget: keeping the property tax rate flat, increasing the property tax rate slightly to offset some budget cuts; or putting the property tax rate at the maximum of 33.986 mills that the commission previously set.

Much of the budget discussion in recent weeks has focused on the effects on Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical staffing and on the city’s Parks, Recreation and Culture department, which has proposed charging entry fees for the city’s rec centers. A report from city staff lays out what would happen in these areas depending on which scenario the commission chooses. Here’s a closer look:

The flat mill levy option:

This would leave the property tax rate at 33.186 mills, the amount that City Manager Craig Owens initially proposed in July. However, this option now looks a bit different than the initial proposal, because Douglas County is providing additional funding for LDCFM.

Originally, this plan would have cut nine full-time equivalent positions from the department, but with the Douglas County funding, it now would only cut one full-time equivalent position.

The proposal would also include membership fees for the city’s rec centers of $25 a month or $250 a year for individual adult residents; $15 a month or $150 a year for residents ages 5 to 17 years old and ages 60 and older; and $40 a month or $400 a year for a family membership.

A 0.488-mill increase:

This second scenario would increase the city manager’s initially proposed rate by 0.488 mills, to 33.674. That would allow for some adjustments that commissioners specifically asked about during a work session on the budget earlier this month.

Compared to the flat mill levy, this scenario would restore the one LDCFM position that would be cut and add two positions for the Lawrence Police Department. It would also halve the membership fees charged for the rec centers compared to the flat mill levy proposal.

This plan would also add $25,000 for small business support and $20,000 for neighborhood associations, and it would allocate $175,000 in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan for the Lawrence Farmers Market’s project to find a permanent location.

The maximum mill levy:

A third scenario would set the mill rate at the maximum of 33.986 mills, which the commission approved earlier in the budget process. One difference between this version and the flat mill levy, according to the report from staff, is that it would allow the city to restore $3.2 million in its reserve fund.

The report does not say how this plan would affect public safety staffing, but it does say that it would keep the rec center fees the same as in the flat mill levy proposal.

The maximum mill levy amount cannot be changed at this point in the budget process, so the commission does not have the option to raise the property tax rate any higher than 33.986 mills.

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Regardless of what the commissioners decide on, the city will still be making large-scale cuts across its departments. Owens previously said the cuts would be approximately 5% of the city’s general fund budget.

Even though the budget process is not yet complete, the city has already taken some steps to address the budget shortfall. These include a voluntary retirement program, which nearly 30 employees accepted, as the Journal-World reported.

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One other Fire Medical-related item is on the commission’s agenda for Tuesday. The commissioners will consider approving a site for a new fire station and directing city staff to develop a funding proposal to pay for its operations.

The station, known as Station 6, would be in the northwestern portion of the city, and the specific site the commission is being asked to consider is 555 Stoneridge Drive, which is currently the location of a city water tower.

As the Journal-World reported, the funding for Station 6’s construction was included in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, which is essentially the city’s roadmap for infrastructure projects. The plan would include about $1.5 million for the project in 2026, then about $5.4 million and $5.7 million in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

Along with the potential approval of the site, commissioners will also consider directing the city to develop a future budget proposal that includes property tax increases to support the staffing for the new station. According to a city staff memo, the new station would need 23 firefighters, three battalion chiefs, two administrative staff members and a new fire truck and ambulance. Funding for the station expansion is split between the city and the county, and the city estimates the mill levy increase would be a total of 3.25 mills based on current funding rates.

If commissioners approve the site, the city projects the station could be ready for operations by 2028.