City Manager's 2025 Recommended Budget presentation

Lawrence City Manager Craig Owens, along with City staff, presented the 2025 City Manager’s Recommended Budget at the Lawrence City Commission meeting on Tuesday, July 9. The following materials from that presentation are available to review:

The recommended budget has a proposed property tax rate increase of 3.5 mills and an increase of the affordable housing sales tax from 0.05% to 0.10%. Please note: The sales tax increase would be a ballot initiative that Lawrence residents would vote on. The four funding priorities for this budget recommendation are:

The expansion of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical operations
Our commitment to the A Place for Everyone plan to end chronic homelessness
Our organization’s long-term sustainability, including market-based compensation
Our continued investment in infrastructure

Community engagement has been a hallmark of the 2025 budget process, and there are still more opportunities for the community to get involved. The City will reopen Balancing Act from July 10-31 to collect feedback in response to the recommended budget.

With Balancing Act, the community can choose to increase or decrease service levels in different areas of City operations, but to submit a final budget in the simulation, it must be balanced. This feedback is extremely helpful to City staff and commissioners as it lets them know what services residents would accept reductions in to allow for continued service levels – or increases in services – in other areas.

Balancing Act is online at: https://lawrenceks.abalancingact.com/2025-budget-priorities-july

Next Steps

On August 20, City Commission will host the revenue neutral rate public hearing and the budget public hearing.
On September 3 (tentative), City Commission will adopt the 2025 budget.

Contact: Maureen Brady, brand manager, mbrady@lawrenceks.org | 785-766-9449

City Manager’s 2025 Recommended Budget presentation