A resolution city staff members were asking the Lawrence City Commission to approve, which pledged to indefinitely suspend enforcement of equal rights ordinances in hopes of maintaining federal funding, is no longer on the commission’s meeting agenda.
The resolution was on the commission’s agenda for its Tuesday, May 20 meeting. It stated that the executive branch of the federal government has “recently interpreted federal law to prohibit civil projects, programs, and activities that provide certain advantages to marginalized persons, based on a person’s class,” and said it will not provide funding to “subordinate governmental entities” that do not comply.
A staff memo to the commission stated that a significant portion of the city’s budget came from government grants, “whether it be for road and highway projects, infrastructure projects, broadband projects, fair housing projects, CDBG grants, airport projects, and the like. Losing that funding would work an incredible hardship on all residents of the City.”
As of Monday afternoon, though, the resolution was no longer on the agenda, nor was it listed as a future agenda item.
Update:
• City of Lawrence cites potential loss of $8M in federal funds as reason for resolution that sparked uproar, May 20, 2025
Spokespeople for the city, City Attorney Toni Wheeler, and Deputy City Attorney Randy Larkin did not immediately respond to an email Monday asking why the resolution was removed from the agenda and whether there are plans to include it on a future agenda.
The resolution had said the city was declaring a state of emergency.
“As the result of the declared emergency, the Governing Body hereby suspends enforcement of all portions of ordinances, resolutions, regulations, policies, practices, and customs that would provide assistance or preference to any person based on that person’s class,” the resolution stated. “While it pledges that it will continue to provide assistance to those in the community most in need, the Governing Body reiterates and reaffirms that the City will, in all City projects, programs, and activities, comply with federal law.”
This publication was copied on several emails to city commissioners, city staff members and more following the publication of the meeting agenda on Thursday and our article about the resolution shortly thereafter.
Community members raised concerns about a lack of specificity in the resolution, lack of clarity around how city staff members would follow the resolution, the potential impacts to the people of Lawrence, whether the city would “bend to the will of fascists” and more.
An updated version of the agenda item had been posted to the agenda portal on Friday. It included an April 24 letter from Sean Duffy, U.S. secretary of transportation, stating that “Whether or not described in neutral terms, any policy, program, or activity that is premised on a prohibited classification, including discriminatory policies or practices designed to achieve so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’ or ‘DEI,’ goals, presumptively violates Federal law.”
20250520-Resolution-re-exec-order-compliance-revResolution 7599 had been on the commission’s regular meeting agenda, meaning members of the public would have been allowed to give comments about it in person and virtually prior to the commission’s vote.
One of the remaining regular agenda items is regarding the planned demolition of 1007 Rhode Island St.
The other is a rezoning request for an area near West Third and Michigan streets to allow for the development of a two-story apartment complex with 12 one-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units. Four planning commissioners in March voted for approval of the request, and four voted against it. The city commission would need a simple majority to pass the proposal.
Lawrence city commissioners will meet at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 20 at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. See the complete meeting agenda at this link.
The commission accepts written public comment emailed to ccagendas@lawrenceks.org until noon the day of meetings. The commission also hears live public comment during meetings, both in person and virtually. Register to join the Zoom meeting at this link.
Meetings are open to the public, livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/@lawrenceksvideo and broadcast on Midco channel 25. See the complete agenda at this link.
Read more on how federal funding cuts and policy changes are directly affecting Lawrence and Douglas County community members in the articles linked below and on this page.
Contact information for the congressional delegation representing Lawrence and Douglas County is available at this link. The nonprofit 5 Calls, 5calls.org, has phone numbers and templates of scripts to help people make their voices heard on several federal issues.
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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.
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