photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Lawrence City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., is pictured on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024.

City leaders next week will be asked for guidance on changing Lawrence’s environmental goals from achieving 100% clean energy to becoming “climate neutral” by 2050.

At its meeting on Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will hear an update from the city’s Environmental Sustainability Commitment Team about environmental goals in the city’s strategic plan. The commission’s meeting agenda says it will also be asked to provide input on two policy changes: repealing a previous clean energy goal and setting a new climate neutrality goal.

The previous goal is set out in a city ordinance called Ordinance No. 9744. It was passed by the city in 2020 and set a target of having all city facilities powered by renewable energy by 2025 and having 100% of residential and commercial businesses citywide powered by renewable energy by 2035.

However, as the Journal-World reported, the city has not come close to meeting those goals. It missed the 2025 goal, and only about 3% of its facilities are currently powered by clean energy. Because of this, city sustainability staff suggested repealing the ordinance and setting a new goal of climate neutrality.

Climate neutrality means that all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are offset, resulting in no net impact on the climate.

The City Commission will not be asked to vote on these proposed changes on Tuesday night. The agenda just says commissioners will be asked to provide staff direction on what to do next.

In other business, the commission will:

• Hear a presentation about A Place for Everyone, the city-county plan to eliminate chronic homelessness. The Douglas County Commission heard the same presentation at its meeting this week.

• Consider approving an airport layout drawing to be submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration. The drawing of existing and proposed facilities was prepared as part of the city’s Airport Master Plan process, and it must be reviewed by the FAA in order for Lawrence to be eligible for future federal funding.

A few other airport-related items are on the commission’s consent agenda, including a $318,000 bid for runway rehabilitation, a request for new subcommittees to be created on the Aviation Advisory Board, and a contract for janitorial services at multiple large city buildings, including the airport terminal.

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