photo by: Rochelle Valverde/Journal-World

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

Lawrence leaders will soon make a decision about whether to adopt a $472 million budget for 2024 — and, as a result, potentially increase property tax collections by about $3.5 million compared to last year.

On Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission is scheduled to consider approving the city’s 2024 operating budget, as well as the next five-year Capital Improvement Plan.

The budget was presented with the same flat mill levy — or property tax rate — as last year at 33.207 mills. But just setting the same tax rate doesn’t necessarily mean collecting the same amount in property taxes, as the city is expected to bring in about $3.58 million more in 2024.

Thanks to rising property values, the rate needed to collect the same amount in property taxes as last year would need to be about 2.5 mills lower. That’s why, in late August, the City Commission approved exceeding that tax rate, known in state statute as the “revenue neutral rate.”

As the Journal-World has reported, the 2024 budget, if approved, will include $2 million to support the operations of a new Homeless Programs Department and an additional $1.1 million intended to bolster the city’s affordable housing stock in a partnership with Tenants to Homeowners.

That combined $3.1 million the city proposes spending on housing and homelessness issues is coming out of a more than $116 million general fund, the primary operating fund for city services like public safety and parks and recreation. That fund has increased by more than 10% compared to the 2023 budget.

Another highlight of the 2024 budget, as the Journal-World has reported, is the inclusion of an additional $7.5 million in recommended net employee compensation and benefits.

As for the Capital Improvement Plan, which is the city’s blueprint for how much capital projects will cost and when they’re supposed to occur through 2028, it accounts for more than $460 million in projects. That includes more than $31 million in improvements at Lawrence’s Kansas River Wastewater Treatment Plant, a $5.9 million reconfiguration project at City Hall and more.

In other business, commissioners will:

• Consider approving a site plan for accessory parking at 1514 Sigma Nu Place.

That request is related to an $8.5 million project to rebuild the existing Delta Delta Delta sorority house at 1630 Oxford Road, a few blocks west of the University of Kansas football stadium. As the Journal-World reported, that redevelopment is aiming to support 72 live-in sorority members.

As specified in the city’s Land Development Code, the applicant must provide one off-street space per lawful occupant plus one space per 10 occupants for guests and visitors, meaning the house’s required off-street parking load is 80 spaces. Since the entirety of the required parking won’t fit within the property at 1630 Oxford Road, this request instead asks for permission to support off-site parking at 1514 Sigma Nu Place, 0.3 miles away from the sorority house.

• Host a public hearing on the establishment of a Neighborhood Revitalization Area at 1000 New Hampshire St. and consider authorizing the use of Industrial Revenue Bond financing to provide access to a sales tax exemption on project construction materials.

The pair of requests are the last incentives needed for developer Tony Krsnich’s New Hampshire Street Lofts project, which aims to add nearly 50 units of rent-controlled affordable housing for residents 55 and older at the vacant lot currently located at 1000 New Hampshire St.

Krsnich’s Flint Hills Holdings Group is requesting a 15-year, 95% Neighborhood Revitalization Area rebate. The city’s Public Incentives Review Committee in early August voted 6-0 to approve recommending the city, Douglas County and the Lawrence school district all approve the incentives requests.

Like another recent request for the same type of incentives from local businessman Doug Compton, the city, county and school district all must individually conduct public hearings and vote to approve the incentives since they’re all separate taxing jurisdictions. If all three bodies approve, the requests will return to the City Commission one more time for final approval.

The Lawrence City Commission will convene at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.