Take the Sidewalk Repairs Survey! This survey is intended to help the City better understand the community’s desires and expectations for sidewalk repair. It is on Lawrence Listens through October 31. 

Background

According to survey results of the Lawrence Pedestrian Plan, sidewalks in disrepair/tripping hazards were one of the top three barriers that make it difficult to walk in Lawrence. The City began the Sidewalk Improvement Program (SIP) in 2019 to address this issue. The SIP assists property owners in meeting their legal requirements by helping identify and repair tripping hazards in addition to providing technical and financial assistance to property owners. Each year, the City inspects priority pedestrian routes and groups repairs into a large project. The City shares in the cost responsibility with property owners by assuming all costs of the project not directly associated with the installation of the new concrete (i.e. contractor mobilization, removals, grading, traffic control, etc.) as well as the cost of administering the contract. Property owners are invoiced for only the cost of the new concrete and assessed to property taxes over a five-year period if unpaid.

This program is also an important first step in addressing accessibility issues through the City’s ADA Transition Plan for the public right of way (currently in progress).

The City has 422 miles of existing sidewalks and trails, and through the first three years of the SIP approximately 30% of those have been inspected. The total cost of the program through these three years was $2,017,000, of which property owners paid $612,000. It is estimated that the cost to repair the remaining miles of sidewalk that can be repaired is $12.4 million. The City has recognized that some sidewalks are in such poor condition that replacement, and not repair, is necessary. Sidewalks that need replacement will be funded and administered through a separate program. 

You're invited to participate in three surveys currently available in Lawrence Listens: 

1. Lawrence Transit and KU Route Redesign: What do you think about the two proposed route redesignn scenarios for our bus system?
2. Pedestrian Plan Survey 2021: What is your vision for walking in Lawrence? Can you help us identify barriers you would like the pedestrian plan to address? 
3. Transit and Transportation Planning Public Input Survey: Please help us make sure that everyone's thoughts are included in our Public Participation Plan!

Surveys are available through mid-November. 

Dear Lawrence Listens Subscribers, 

We have recently set up two surveys seeking your input. 

1. 2020 Strategic Plan Survey: How have recent events, including issues of racial equity as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, affected community perceptions and priorities for the 2020 strategic plan? (Feedback will be used while drafting the 2020 Strategic Plan.)
2. Temporary Massachusetts Street Redesign Survey: Now that it has been installed, what are your thoughts on the temporary Massachusetts Street redesign? (Feedback will be shared with the Lawrence City Commission ahead of their August 4 meeting, at which time they will evaluate the program and decide whether it should continue until October 31.)

We appreciate your participation!

The City of Lawrence and Douglas County are seeking a new Director for the Planning and Development Services Department. The Planning and Development Services Department provides current and long-range planning, community development, affordable housing, code enforcement, and building permitting services for the City of Lawrence. The Department also provides support for Douglas County planning, coordinates joint County-wide planning efforts, and houses the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, focusing on regional transportation planning.

The City is seeking public input as we work with the County to develop the job profile for potential candidates. Your feedback on types of knowledge, experience, skills and abilities necessary to make the position successful is important.

The survey will close at 5 p.m. on Friday, November 22. Thank you for taking time to provide us with your input!

We added a new survey to Lawrence Listens about single-use plastic bags. The City of Lawrence is considering ways to reduce use of single-use plastic bags, and we want to hear from you as we consider a variety of options.

It is a quick survey that will be extremely helpful as we navigate solutions to this issue. We appreciate your time. 

Thank you.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) needs your help creating the vision for the East 23rd Street Multimodal Corridor Plan. The study area of the plan spans from the Haskell Bridge east to O’Connell Road and will consider bicycle and pedestrian amenities, enhanced transit stops, roadway redesign, corridor aesthetics, and more. The plan will lay the foundation for the ultimate design of East 23rd Street, from the Haskell Bridge to 600 feet east of Anderson Avenue, when it is reconstructed in 2021-22.

The 11-question online survey is one of three ways to participate in the process. Additional activities that will be available include a visioning workshop (June 25) and an open house (June 26). More information on the entire process is available on the project website (linked below). 

The City of Lawrence has opened a new Lawrence Listens survey to gather information about feral/stray cats in the community amid the introduction of a proposed Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program.

The Lawrence City Commission will consider amending the City Code on February 19, 2019, to permit “community cats” in Lawrence. Community cats are feral/stray cats which, under the proposed TNR program, would be trapped by citizens and taken to be spayed/neutered and vaccinated before they are returned to the place where they were collected. Cats that have been captured and released will have a special marking on their ear to prevent them from being taken in twice.

Community input on this issue is important, and the city is asking for insight from citizens throughout Lawrence to improve understanding of the feral/stray cat populations. With your input, staff can provide a more complete presentation to the City Commission regarding the proposed TNR program.

For more information about community cats or the proposed TNR program, please contact Maria Garcia, Assistant City Attorney at 785-832-3470 or [email protected].

The City of Lawrence is working to increase safe and comfortable bicycling for people living, working, and visiting our City. To meet this goal, the City will be developing plans for two bicycle boulevards in Lawrence: one on E 13th St., and one on W 21st St. The extents of each street being redesigned can be seen on the document linked here: https://assets.lawrenceks.org/assets/mpo/bicycle/Flyer_v7.pdf. These bicycle boulevards will be the first of their kind in Lawrence and are an important step in expanding the network of safe and comfortable streets for biking in the community. Tell us your thoughts! 

On June 12, 2018 the City Manager presented his recommended budget for 2019. As presented, the mill levy remained flat and the budget totaled $206,068,000 across all funds. 

Now, we want to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to fill out our survey to tell us what your budget priorities are for 2019. 

If you would like to learn more about the budget, please visit our budget webpage at www.lawrenceks.org/budget/current. 

The City of Lawrence and eXplore Lawrence are interested in hearing your opinion about Final Fridays. Final Fridays occurs on the last Friday of every month from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm in Downtown Lawrence and the Warehouse Arts District. It is a free arts festival for people of all ages with performances, exhibits, and galleries. Please take a few minutes to fill-out this brief survey about Final Fridays!

Lawrence Transit is conducting an analysis to evaluate potential locations where users of both the City of Lawrence and University of Kansas transit systems can make transfers. A public meeitng was held on Wednesday, November 29 to review the proposed locaitons and discuss the benefits and challenges of each location. You are invited to also participate through Lawrence Listens. Similar to the public meeting, the survey will begin with a short presentation and ask participants to answer a few questions about each proposed location. 

Lawrence Transit is conducting an analysis to identify location(s) where bus transfers can be made to allow the system to operate more efficiently. This study began in July by identifying community values associated with the type of location and amenities of this potential investment. The following survey continues the discussion of values by asking you how the City should evaluate potential locations and how amenities should be prioritized for investment. 

We appreciate your help on this important project! The survey should take less than 5 minutes. 

The City is reviewing options for how to regulate properties being used as short-term rentals (i.e. Airbnb, VRBO). Before bringing forward a draft ordinance to the City Commission, the City would like to hear from stakeholders and community members. 

Your input on this topic is essential!

The City is reviewing options for how to regulate properties being used as short-term rentals (i.e. Airbnb, VRBO). Before bringing forward a draft ordinance to the City Commission, the City would like to hear from stakeholders and community members.

A public meeting was held on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 with a staff presentation on the process. The presentation materials can be found here. Community members are encouraged to submit written comments to Danielle Buschkoetter at [email protected] and take a brief survey.

All the feedback collected will help guide staff through the development of a short-term rental ordinance which will be presented to the City Commission. That discussion is tentatively scheduled for the November 14, 2017 work session. 

The City of Lawrence is studying potential alignments for two incomplete sections of pedestrian and bicycle path to complete the Lawrence Loop. An open house was held in June to gather public input on proposed routes. Over the summer the study team evaluated the proposed routes and developed a series of alignment options. Give us your thoughts on the proposed routes through this short survey!

You are also welcomed to attend an open house September 18, 2017 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Lawrence Public Library Auditorium, 707 Vermont Street. There will not be a formal presentation, so please feel free to come at your convenience between these times. 

Lawrence Transit has recently begun a study to evaluate locations for riders of the City and KU bus systems to make transfers. We will be seeking your input at three points during the study. This first survey, asks residents to identify wants and needs, future surveys will ask residents to confirm site selection criteria and analyze proposed sites.

Your input in this project is essential!

Check out a presentation about the study and complete our first survey here.

Thank you for your time and input!

Lawrence Transit has recently begun a study to evaluate locations for riders of the City and KU bus systems to make transfers. We will be seeking your input at three points during the study. This first survey, asks residents to identify wants and needs, future surveys will ask residents to confirm site selection criteria and analyze proposed sites.

Your input in this project is essential!

Check out a presentation about the study and complete our first survey at www.peakdemocracy.com/5266.

Thank you for your time and input!

The City Manager has announced three finalists for the parks and recreation director position and would like your feedback! Each finalist has participated in public reception that was held Tuesday, June 27 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Sports Pavilion Lawrence. Whether you went to the reception or not, we would like to hear from you. The survey will only be available until Friday, June 30, 2017 at 5:00pm. 

On May 9, 2017 the City Manager’s recommended budget was presented to the City Commission. This marked the beginning of the public input process and we would now like to hear from you!

The budget was developed using the City’s strategic plan. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey and help us further shape the City budget. For more information and to read the full budget (and presentation), visit www.lawrenceks.org/budget/current. 

Please take a few moments to answer questions about how fair housing issues in Lawrence impact you. The data will be analyzed and discussed in the City's Assessment of Fair Housing which will be submitted to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The survey will be available until May 31, 2017. 

The City of Lawrence is developing a 10-year plan for public parking in Downtown Lawrence, as well as neighborhoods and areas surrounding Downtown and the University of Kansas campus. The map depicts the study area for this analysis. The plan will include a review of existing parking, a projection of future parking demand based on anticipated development, short- and long-term strategies to address parking availability within the study area, and recommendations for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the City’s parking operation.

Whether a resident, business owner, employee, property owner, or occasional or frequent visitor to Lawrence, you are a stakeholder in this parking study and we encourage you to take a moment to fill out this short survey and provide your feedback.

Go to Lawrence Listens and complete the survey. This survey will be available through Tuesday, March 28, 2017. We would greatly appreciate your input!

For questions or comments, please contact Brandon McGuire at (785) 832-3400. 

Please give your input on the draft strategic plan framework! Your feedback will be shared with the City Commission and included in the strategic planning process.

The Mayor, City Commissioners, City Manager and senior city staff members participated in a two-day Strategic Planning Retreat on January 13th and 14th to establish a framework for the City’s Strategic Plan. The proposed framework includes a Vision Statement and seven Critical Success Factors that are essential to achieving that vision in the future.

Now, the City is interested in hearing your input on this draft strategic plan framework!

Please take a moment to learn more and share your views:

We've extended the deadline on the Douglas County Food System survey to ensure that as many Douglas County residents as possible help create a vision for our local food system!

What to expect:

The survey should take no more than a few minutes to complete. It asks:

• Your local experience
• How we can work together

Your input will inform our county-wide Food System Plan that will be presented to local elected officials in our community. 

Help create a vision for our local food system!

How we get food matters to everyone in our community. From the farmer to the school gardener, the food pantry shelf to the grocery shelf, we all have an important role in our local food system. 

Your answers will help set priorities that will guide future decisions and work in our community.

We have a new Lawrence Listens survey focusing on city budget priorities.

Give your input on planned and desired affordable housing programs in Lawrence.

The city's Affordable Housing Advisory Board is working on a five-year plan for housing in our community. As part of that discussion, we want your feedback.

On April 19, 2016, the City Commission approved a text amendment to the Development Code to add "Urban Agriculture" as a permitted use and to establish standards.

Thank you to all who participated.

The survey closed on October 1.  The results of this survey have been provided to the consultant working on the hiring of a new City Manager.  The survey results have been provided to the City Commission.  

The hiring process will continue over the next couple months.  The City Commission anticipates some additional public comment and a chance to meet with final candidates, once selected.  

Thank you for participating.

We want your feedback! What attributes and characteristics are most important for the next Lawrence City Manager?

Thank you for your feedback on priorities for the City of Lawrence. The City Commission reviewed the responses to this question at the May 19, 2015 Budget Study Session. The report is available online. The feedback from this topic will help inform future topics on Lawrence Listens. Please come back to give more feedback in the future!

A new question is available on Lawrence Listens:  

What level of priority do you think each budget category should receive in the 2016 Budget?

The City of Lawrence recently held two budget meetings in May 2015.  At those forums, the city split the current budget into 20 general categories of city services.  

For this survey, please select your answer for each category whether you think the category should receive a more funding prioirty, the same amount of funding priority, or less funding priority.  Please provide your answer for each category listed.

For example: “I think think Fire & EMS should have higher funding / the same amount of funding / less funding priority in 2016." 

We look forward to your answers and will provide the comments to City Commissioners and city staff with a report. The question will close on May 29, 2015. 

What level of priority do you think each budget category should receive in the 2016 Budget?

 

The City of Lawrence recently held two budget meetings in May 2015.  At those forums, the city split the current budget into 20 general categories of city services.  

For this survey, please select your answer for each category whether you think the category should receive a more funding prioirty, the same amount of funding priority, or less funding priority.  Please provide your answer for each category listed.

For example: “I think think Fire & EMS should have higher funding / the same amount of funding / less funding priority in 2016." 

We look forward to your answers and will provide the comments to City Commissioners and city staff with a report.