The city on Monday announced the members of the Community Budget Committee, a group that will meet behind closed doors over the next several months to help the Lawrence city manager come to budget decisions.
Members include Sarah McGreer Hoyt, James Bowen, Sheri Ellenbecker, Erik Sartorius, Jacob Fowles, Whitney Lang and Paul Carttar, according to a Monday news release.
The city received more than 50 applications for the seven committee spots, according to an email shared with the publication.
“Our community is facing significant financial pressure, and some tough choices must be made for the 2026 budget,” City Manager Craig Owens said in the news release. “Our process is better when informed community members work together on solutions that account for what our fellow neighbors want and need. Collaboration and compromise will be necessary.”
The announcement came a week later than expected as staff members were working to confirm applicants.
In announcing the committee on Nov. 1, the city said that “These meetings will not be open to the public and some confidentiality may be required during the process.” We asked last month why the committee’s meetings will not be open to the public.
“The Community Budget Committee will serve as a working group in the early stages of our budgeting process as we look to develop the 2026 City Manager’s Recommended Budget. Because it is a working group, it will not have the same structure as many of our other committees,” Alley Porter, budget and strategic initiatives manager, said in a statement through city spokespeople. “However, any findings/recommendations/etc. will be shared with the City Commission in a public forum and allow public participation at that time.”
Under state open meetings laws and following previous court rulings, the city can convene a committee like this without making it open to the public. Read more about that at this link.
The city is also starting a new Employee Budget Committee, according to the initial announcement of the community budget committee.
Porter also said last month that the city will plan to host public “Balancing Act” sessions for the community, referring to the online program the city uses to allow residents to make some of their own recommendations about the budget.
“These will be scheduled once that tool is opened to the public,” she said. “Those meetings will be an opportunity for the community to ask questions and learn more about our general fund.”
For reference, this year, the city opened Balancing Act submissions throughout the month of May and through part of July. The draft budget was released July 5 and the first Lawrence City Commission meeting focused on the budget was on July 9.
The committee is expected to meet six times over the next eight months, starting this month, according to the release.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Lawrence city budget coverage
Molly Adams / Lawrence TimesCity announces members of closed-door community budget committee
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Molly Adams / Lawrence TimesCity announces members of closed-door community budget committee
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