photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

The wall of mayors in Lawrence City Hall is pictured on April 27, 2026.

The idea of changing Lawrence’s mayor to a directly elected position is expected to get some discussion on Tuesday at City Hall.

One of the items on the City Commission’s agenda for next week is a presentation from the Lawrence Chamber about a potential ballot question on how the city’s mayor should be chosen. The question would ask whether Lawrence’s mayor should be elected directly, instead of chosen by the City Commission.

Under the current system, the five-member City Commission elects one of its members each year to serve as mayor, and another one to serve as vice mayor. Traditionally, this choice is made using a set of unwritten rules based on the results of the most recent City Commission elections.

The Chamber, however, has been exploring the idea of having voters choose the mayor themselves. Last month, Bonnie Lowe, Chamber president and CEO, told the Journal-World that she thought many residents would appreciate a mayor with a direct mandate from the people who would serve four years instead of one. That consistency, she said, meant a mayor could work with the city manager on a more coherent “vision” for Lawrence.

Lowe also said in June that The Chamber had polled its members about the idea, and that 84% of respondents supported the idea of a directly elected mayor. And in a letter to the City Commission from July 15, Lowe said The Chamber had also “convened discussions with a broad group of community and civic leaders, including 15 former mayors,” about the idea.

In June, Lowe had requested discussion of a question on the November 2026 ballot, but her letter to the commission in July said that the timeline may need to be discussed further.

“It has become clear that the question of whether Lawrence should adopt a Directly Elected Mayor form of government will require — and would benefit from — continued community engagement and discussion beyond the upcoming election,” Lowe wrote. “We hope these conversations will continue on a timeline that allows all voices to be heard.”

Lawrence has not changed its form of government in more than 70 years, but there was recently a question about the issue on the ballot. That was in 2024, when voters were asked not just about electing the mayor, but also about a new structure for the commission in which there would be six members and some would represent specific geographic districts. Voters narrowly rejected that proposed government structure, with 50.86% voting against it and 49.14% voting for it.

In other business, the commission will:

Hear a presentation on the final report from the city’s 2026 Affordable Housing Study, and consider adopting the Affordable Housing Incentive Policy.

The commission got a first look at the housing study in early June, and the final report was published on June 26. It was funded with a COVID-related grant, and it includes a 10-year plan for improving housing affordability in Lawrence.

The incentive policy will establish clear requirements and guidelines for how the city handles incentive requests for affordable housing developments. An earlier version was presented to the commission in January, and staff is now bringing the final draft back for approval.

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