Despite concerns voiced by community members, Lawrence city commissioners voted to approve a budget that will include fees for residents to use rec centers, take a fire engine offline and increase the property tax rate.
“This is how cities slide into insolvency — not with a dramatic collapse, but with a slow, steady drift into financial fragility,” resident John Ims told commissioners, kicking off the final public comment session before approval of the 2026 budget.
He was followed by more than 15 others who raised questions about the city’s debt, funding of public safety, charging residents fees to use recreation centers, contributing to a permanent structure for the Lawrence Farmers Market and more.
First responders with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical asked the commission to please reconsider cuts to the fire department budget that would take Engine 5, which is stationed at 19th and Iowa streets, offline.
Others echoed concerns from recent months about the city’s climbing debt and worries about limiting rec center access for youths and seniors, adding to the burden on low-income households, and harming public health by creating barirers to recreation opportunities.
“I wonder if there’s any power to defer this decision, so we can have a budget that reflects the community’s needs,” resident Jeffery Heppler said.
But Tuesday’s was the last regularly scheduled commission meeting before the city’s budget must be filed with the county clerk by Oct. 1.
The commission ultimately voted 4-1 to approve what city staff members called Option B, raising the mill levy, or property tax rate, to 33.674 mills (an increase of 0.488 mills); adding one full-time firefighter and two police officer positions; $175,000 to support a permanent Lawrence Farmers Market location; and charging residents fees to use the recreation centers.
Commissioner Lisa Larsen said she could only support a budget option with a flat mill levy and was the sole opposing vote. Mayor Mike Dever, Vice Mayor Brad Finkeldei, and Commissioners Amber Sellers and Bart Littlejohn voted in favor.
Monthly and annual fees to use Sports Pavilion Lawrence and the Holcom Park and East Lawrence recreation centers will cost $12 and $120 for adults; $20 and $200 for households; or $8 and $80 for seniors. All Douglas County youths will be admitted to rec centers free, as will people who qualify under income guidelines. Memberships for adults and seniors who live outside of city limits will cost 25% more ($12 and $10 per month, respectively) and households would cost 20% more ($24 per month). The plan also includes charging tournament spectators $5 for admission.
Regarding rec center fees, Finkeldei said “In a perfect world, yes, everything would be free, but it’s not a question of whether or not it’s free. The question is who’s paying that burden.”
Sellers asked how many firefighters it would take to keep Engine 5 online. McKenzi Ezell, chief of staff for LDCFM, said it would take nine positions in order to staff all shifts. That much money would not have fit into any of the budget options the commission had to consider Tuesday.
Commissioners were to vote on where to set the mill levy, or property tax rate — a flat rate of 33.186 mills, up to a maximum of 33.986 mills, or somewhere in between. They opted for in between, at 33.674 mills.
The owner of a home with an assessed valuation of $200,000 will pay the city about $774 in property taxes in 2026.
The property tax rate increase adds about $11 from the 2025 rates to 2026 for a $200,000 home; however, most property values also increased about 5% this year.
Dever said the city will have to increase the mill levy more in the future in order to do what it wants to do for the firefighters, police officers and other community benefits.
“We’re going to have some mill levy increases coming, you know, whether I like it or you like it or not,” Dever said. “If we want to have the public safety and the security that are being preached here tonight, it’s going to cost us a lot of money, and we need to make a concerted effort to make that public, and that we make the right decision in how we spend those dollars.”
The commission’s vote also encompassed approval of the city’s 2026-2030 capital improvement plan.
See the complete budget agenda item and capital improvement plan at this link.
As of publication, commissioners were considering increases to water and wastewater rates for the next three years.
Update, 11:42 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16: Commissioners on Tuesday also approved increases to water and wastewater rates and agreed upon Sixth Street and Stoneridge Drive for the location of the next fire station.
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Note: Post updated to include info on spectator fees for tournaments and list out how each commissioner voted
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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August Rudisell/Lawrence TimesLawrence City Commission approves budget with fees to use rec centers, property tax rate increase
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