Week ending February 3, 2018
Housing Study Getting Underway
The City has hired a consultant to complete a comprehensive housing study for Lawrence. Beginning the week of February 5, residents may receive a telephone call to participate in a survey for this housing study. The survey will be completed by a vendor of the consulting firm that was hired to complete the comprehensive study. If a resident receives a call, we are encouraging participation which will help inform the consultant’s final report. The consultant will also be conducting focus groups with community representatives and there will be other public input opportunities. It is anticipated that the study will be completed sometime in April.
January 2018 City Population Estimates and Projections
Planning & Development Services provides the City’s January 1, 2018 population estimate for the City Commission’s and public’s information. The City utilizes building & demolition permit data, average household size, and vacancy rates to provide the estimate. As of January 1, 2018, the estimated population of Lawrence is 102,002.
Building Permit and Plan Review Calculators Added to Planning & Development Services Web Pages
An online building permit and plan review fee calculator has recently been added to the Planning & Development Services/Development Services building permit web pages. The City’s adopted building permit and plan review fee table establishes fees based on building permit project valuation. Use of the table to calculate fees can be cumbersome for designers, contractors and homeowners who need to know fee amounts for planning, bidding and similar purposes. Customers often call or email Staff for a fee calculation rather than using the published fee table. Building permit customers (or potential customers) can now simply enter the valuation of a project to determine the permit and plan review fees that will be assessed. PDS employee Brad Karr and Web Content Administrator Kevin Powell did most of the work to develop, design and test the new fee calculator. The fee calculators can be found on the residential or commercial building permit web pages. https://lawrenceks.org/pds/residential_permits/, https://lawrenceks.org/pds/commercial_permits/
Lawrence Santa Fe Depot Listed on National Register of Historic Places
On November 18, 2017, the Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review approved the nomination of the Lawrence Santa Fe Depot to the National Register of Historic Places. Properties approved for nomination to the National Register by the Board are automatically listed in the Register of Historic Kansas Places, the state register. On January 5, 2018, the Lawrence Santa Fe Depot was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the country’s official list of historically significant properties. Listing in the registers qualifies the property for certain state-funded financial incentives, qualifies the property for the Heritage Trust Fund grant program, and makes available the Kansas Rehabilitation Tax Credit. The property is now subject to review under the Kansas Historic Preservation Act.
Transportation 2040 (T2040) Public Comment Period
The Lawrence Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) Transportation 2040 30-day public comment period starts on February 1, 2018 and will end on March 2, 2018. This draft plan is the accumulation of the input from the two phases of public engagement throughout 2017, previous planning work, performance measures, and changing fiscal realities for transportation in Douglas County. An updated plan is also required by federal regulations to ensure the flow of USDOT funding for transportation projects in Lawrence and Douglas County.
Comments received on or before March 2, 2018 will be considered for the final document, to be presented to the MPO Policy Board for approval at their March 15, 2018 regular meeting. The draft document for T2040 can be viewed online at www.lawrenceks.org/mpo/t2040-update.
Comments can be submitted in writing to jmortinger@lawrenceks.org, to Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Office, PO Box 708, Lawrence, KS 66044-0708, or by providing comment in the www.lawrenceks.org/mpo/tellus.
2018 Wage Floor
Pursuant to the City’s Tax Abatement Policy, the wage floor hourly wage is adjusted annually. The City of Lawrence’s wage floor increased from $12.76 in 2017 to $12.99 in 2018, based on an average wage equal to one hundred thirty percent of the federal poverty threshold for a family of three. The poverty level for a family of three, as established by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, was $20,780 for 2018. Additional information and a summary of the wage floor amounts since 2003 can be found in the attached memo.
2019 Budget Calendar
Staff prepared a budget calendar for the 2019 budget process. The process includes revisions to the 2018 budget and the 2019-2023 CIP. The calendar reflects the timeline assuming the governing body plans to stay within the statutory tax lid and not have a special election as part of the process.
Advisory Board Membership Voluntary Demographic Survey to be distributed in February
On September 19, 2017, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 7224, adopting standard policies and procedures relating to Advisory Boards and Committees and Commissions of the City of Lawrence, Kansas. Section 2.0, Item 1-e states the Mayor shall strive to reflect the diversity of the community in appointments, including but not limited to: income level, race, sex, religion, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, ancestry, familial status, gender identity and sexual orientation. In order to gain a snapshot of the current demographic profile of the city’s advisory boards, the city will be distributing a voluntary electronic survey to advisory board members during the week of February 12. Information from the survey will be compiled in a report for the City’s use to assist the Mayor and City Commission with advisory board/committee appointments, as needed.
Future Agenda Items
Attached, please find a summary of future agenda items.
Future Work Session Items
Attached, please find a summary of future work session items.