Current Budget

Due to the ongoing winter storm, City facilities, including City Hall and all Parks, Recreation and Culture facilities, will be closed on Tuesday, Feb. 18. This is due to the forecasted winter storm resulting in dangerous travel conditions.

Read the news release for full details >>

2025 Budget Process 

  • June 18, 2024: City Manager’s Recommended 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan Presentation 
  • July 9, 2024: City Manager’s Recommended Budget Presentation 
  • August 20, 2024: Public Hearing 
  • September 3, 2024: Budget Adopted 
    • CIP Development Process 

      Strategic Planning and Priority-Based Budgeting 

      The City Commission adopted the Strategic Plan in October 2020. The Strategic Plan outlines a systematic process for moving toward a vision in a manner that involves the development and prioritization of strategic goals along with measurable strategies. 

      • The Strategic Plan drives the Annual Operating Budget. 
      • The Annual Operating Budget moderates the Strategic Plan. 
      • The Annual Operating Budget also enables the City to operate Strategic Management. 

      For additional information on the Strategic Plan, please visit lawrenceks.org/strategic-plan. 

      The City uses Priority-Based Budgeting as part of the annual budget process to evaluate and connect government resources with the community’s highest priorities using program data. 

      Budget Archives 

      Questions about past funding or budgets? View budget archives. 

      For more information on the Capital Improvement Plan, please visit https://www.lawrenceks.org/budget/cip/. 

       Future Budget webpage 

      Get Involved

      For the third year in a row, the City utilized A Balancing Act, an online budget simulation tool, to gather community feedback on funding priorities for the upcoming year. City staff will take all the input gathered from A Balancing Act and create a single budget that best fits the needs of our community while moving forward the goals in the City’s strategic plan. 

      The budget process involves many constituents and there are a number of different opportunities to provide feedback. Any member of the public may provide comment at City Commission meetings through public comment and/or as written comments submitted through our regular agenda process. Additionally, other public engagement opportunities will be scheduled throughout the process. The results from those community engagements will be provided to the City Commission. 

       CIP Process page 

      2026 Budget Process 

      This year’s budget schedule is below. Dates are subject to change: 

      • June 17, 2025: Presentation of City Manager’s Recommended 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Plan 
      • July 8, 2025: Presentation of City Manager’s Recommended Budget 
      • September 2, 2025: Budget Public Heating and Revenue Neutral Rate Hearing 
      • September 16, 2025: Budget Adoption