City of Lawrence Invites Community Input on 2027 Operating Budget Priorities

The City of Lawrence is inviting community members to play an active role in shaping the city’s future by sharing their priorities and ideas for the 2027 operating budget. Residents can get started by registering with the City’s new online engagement platform, Engage Lawrence: https://engage.lawrenceks.gov/2027-budget.

Input from our community members is a vital part of the budgeting process, helping ensure city services, programs and investments reflect the needs and values of Lawrence residents.

“A budget is more than numbers — it’s a reflection of our community’s values and priorities,” said Alley Porter, Budget, Strategy, and Performance Director. “Engaging residents in the process ensures our decisions are rooted in what matters most to the people we serve. We invite every community member to get involved and share your perspective.”

Community members can participate in several ways through Engage Lawrence, our new engagement platform designed for broader community engagement:

• A Balancing Act: Build your own balanced city budget and see how funding decisions impact services.
• Survey: Share feedback on the proposed Fire Medical Station 6 expansion and Parks, Recreation and Culture membership fees.
• Budget Brainstorm: Offer additional ideas and suggestions for city services and investments in this open-ended call for ideas.
• Question & Answer: Use Engage Lawrence to submit your questions on anything and everything related to the budget. Our team will review and respond on Engage Lawrence, making the information publicly available to the whole community.

Interested in talking to the budget experts? Members of the City’s budget team will be around town talking to community members and encouraging participation in this year’s budget process. These are casual drop-in opportunities, not formal meetings. Members of Team Lawrence will be set up at a table to answer quick questions, share information, and connect as you pass by. There is no presentation or sit-down discussion, so feel free to stop for a minute or stay a bit longer.

• Tuesday, March 31 from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at Uplift Coffee, 4000 W 6th St.
• Monday, April 6 from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at Uplift Coffee, 624 N 2nd St.

The best budget emerges when many diverse groups of people participate early and often, helping ensure a wide range of perspectives are reflected. Feedback gathered through this process will directly inform the development of the City Manager’s Recommended Budget, which will later be presented to the City Commission for consideration. City Commissioners do review the insights submitted during this feedback process.

For more information and to get involved, visit the interactive home for all budget engagement: https://engage.lawrenceks.gov/2027-budget. All budget resources and information will be uploaded to the Engage Lawrence website as available, and questions will be answered on that platform to ensure accurate information is available.

Contact: City Communications, citycommunications@lawrenceks.org

About the City of Lawrence 
The City of Lawrence supports an unmistakably vibrant community with innovative, equitable, transparent and responsible local government. Together, we are creating a community where everyone can enjoy life and feel at home.