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Lawrence, KS

Recent Lawrence City Commission topics include planning & zoning, housing.

Topics found in recent meetings

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We have no upcoming meetings on file for Lawrence. The most recent record we hold is from Tue Aug 4, 2026. Newer meetings may not have been published to the official portal yet, or may not have been collected by us yet — this is a statement about our record, not about whether the city commission has met.
LawrenceKS averageUS Census ACS
Population
95,459
Per-capita income
$37,946
Median home value
$269,500
Bachelor's or higher
55%
Typical home value $340,158 +3.5% yr/yr · +29.1% 5-yr
Home-value trend 2004–2026 (Zillow ZHVI)
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Municipal budget

US Census Annual Survey of Local Government Finances
Total revenue$589.6M (FY2023)
Total spending$566.3M (FY2023)
Taxes$105.7M (FY2023)
Debt outstanding$439.2M (FY2023)
Spending per resident$5,945 (FY2023)

Development activity

Housing units permitted — US Census Building Permits Survey
2025176 housing units ($46.1M)

Recent meetings

Tue Aug 4, 2026

City Commission - Aug 04 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
Mayor Finkeldei absent
Tue Jul 7, 2026

City Commission - Jul 07 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
City Commissioner Polian and absent · City Commissioner Sellers absent
Fri Jun 26, 2026

City Commission Special Meeting - Jun 26 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
City Commissioner Sellers absent
Tue Jun 16, 2026

City Commission - Jun 16 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
City Commissioner Dever and absent · City Commissioner Polian absent
Tue Jun 2, 2026

City Commission - Jun 02 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent · 1 abstain
City Commissioner Dever absent · City Commissioner Dever and abstain
Fri May 22, 2026

City Commission Special Meeting - May 22 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
City Commissioner Polian absent
Thu May 21, 2026

City Commission Special Meeting - May 21 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
City Commissioner Courtney and absent · City Commissioner Polian and absent
Thu May 14, 2026

Affordable Housing Advisory Board - May 14 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
Dillon absent
Tue May 12, 2026

City Commission - May 12 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
City Commissioner Polian and absent · City Commissioner Sellers absent
Thu May 7, 2026

Building Code Board of Appeals - May 07 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
Blanchard absent · Brunin absent
Tue May 5, 2026

City Commission - May 05 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
City Commissioner Dever absent · City Commissioner Polian and absent
Thu Apr 23, 2026

Building Code Board of Appeals - Apr 23 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
5 absent
Brunin absent · Hoppe absent · Myers absent · Scott absent · Willems absent
Wed Apr 22, 2026

Planning Commission - Apr 22 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
Rexroad absent · Wilson absent
Tue Apr 21, 2026

City Commission - Apr 21 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
City Commissioner Sellers absent
Tue Apr 14, 2026

City Commission - Apr 14 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent · 1 abstain
City Commissioner Dever and absent · Mayor Finkeldei abstain
Thu Apr 9, 2026

Affordable Housing Advisory Board - Apr 09 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
Dillon absent · Gentry absent
Wed Apr 8, 2026

Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission - Apr 08 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
Gaus absent · Metz absent
Tue Apr 7, 2026

City Commission - Apr 07 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
City Commissioner Dever absent
Wed Mar 25, 2026

Planning Commission - Mar 25 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
Planning Commissioner Kelso absent
Thu Mar 19, 2026

Historic Resources Commission - Mar 19 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent · 1 abstain
Cunningham absent · Hernly abstain
Tue Mar 17, 2026

City Commission - Mar 17 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
Mayor Finkeldei and absent
Wed Mar 11, 2026

Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission - Mar 11 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
Mercurio absent
Tue Mar 10, 2026

City Commission - Mar 10 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 abstain
City Commissioner Courtney abstain
Thu Feb 26, 2026

Building Code Board of Appeals - Feb 26 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
Huston absent · Reardon absent
Wed Feb 25, 2026

Planning Commission - Feb 25 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
Planning Commissioner Duvvur absent
Thu Feb 19, 2026

Historic Resources Commission - Feb 19 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent · 1 abstain
Coleman absent · Hernly abstain
Tue Feb 17, 2026

City Commission - Feb 17 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
City Commissioner Sellers absent
Thu Feb 12, 2026

Building Code Board of Appeals - Feb 12 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
1 absent
Scott absent
Thu Feb 12, 2026

Affordable Housing Advisory Board - Feb 12 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
3 absent
Buhler absent · Lopez absent · O'Neill absent
Tue Feb 3, 2026

City Commission - Feb 03 2026

🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Named votes as recorded in the official record.
CivicWeb motion
2 absent
City Commissioner Dever absent · City Commissioner Dever and absent

Showing the 30 most recent meetings of 35 on record.

💰 Federal awards (top 10 by amount)
Largest recent federal contract/grant awards to recipients in this city (2023–present), via USAspending.gov.
$14.6MEMR, INC.
Department of Defense · IGF::OT::IGF CON; DB; BEQ 484 WATER INTRUSION REPAIRS, NSA PANAMA CITY
$12.4MFIRELAKE-DIVERSIFIED JV2 LLC
Environmental Protection Agency · ORD/R6 LAB CONSOLIDATION PROJECT ADA, OK - PHASE 1
$9.7MFIRELAKE-DIVERSIFIED JV2 LLC
Environmental Protection Agency · CONSTRUCTION SERVICES FOR ORD AND R6 LAB CONSOLIDATION TASK ORDER 3 BI
$9.3MVIROVAX LLC
Department of Health and Human Services · IGF::OT::IGF ADJUVANT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
$7.3MEMR, INC.
Department of Defense · BASE AWARD + OPTIONS 3, 4, 5 C-146 SIMULATOR FACILITY
$7.0MFIRELAKE CONSTRUCTION INC
Department of the Interior · REPAIRS TO CONCRETE DAMAGE ON MEDICINE CREEK DAM AND ADDITION OF SITE
$7.0MFIRELAKE CONSTRUCTION INC
Department of Agriculture · BIOCONTAINMENT LAB PRESSURE MONITOR IMPROVEMENTS
$6.6MFIRELAKE CONSTRUCTION INC
Department of Agriculture · BIOCONTAINMENT LAB PENETRATION SEALING IMPROVEMENTS
$6.5MFIRELAKE CONSTRUCTION INC
Department of the Interior · SD-LAKE ANDES NWR-BUNKHOUSE
$6.0MUNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CENTER FOR RESEARCH INC
Department of Defense · BAA 21-0029, YEAR 1 - TASK 1-3 IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF CONCRETE D

Source: USAspending.gov (U.S. Treasury) — federal awards only, not city budgets.

🌐 County-level context (Douglas County)
County-level context — from BLS, IRS, FEMA, HUD, Census. These figures cover the whole county this city sits in, not just the city itself.
Net migration-321 people (-$34.0M net AGI · 2023)
Federal disasters (10 yr)4 ({"Severe Storm": 13, "Tornado": 2, "Flood": 2, "Biological": · last Sun Mar 29, 2020)
Traffic fatalities5 (1 pedestrian · 2023)
Business establishments2,774 (38,737 employees · 2023)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)$1,138/mo (1,295 assisted households · 2025)
Adults with low literacy12.2% (low numeracy 20% · 2017)

Sources: BLS LAUS, IRS SOI, FEMA, NHTSA FARS, Census CBP, HUD, NCES PIAAC

City profile

Everything below is drawn from this city’s own public record and primary-source government data. AI-written summaries are a finding aid, not a citable quote.

333
Recorded votes
$589.6M
Annual budget
$439.2M
Debt outstanding
176
Permitted housing units

The money — in

source: Census gov-finance & state comptroller

Budget

Revenue$589.6M
Spending$566.3M
Revenue ran ahead of operating spending this year.

Debt load MODERATE

Outstanding debt$439.2M
Debt-to-revenue0.74×
Debt-load index57 / 100
A debt-load indicator (national percentile of debt, deficit & aid-reliance) — not a solvency verdict. Cross-checked against official state fiscal-stress scores where they exist.

Outcomes — economic mobility

source: Opportunity Atlas (Harvard) · research use

For kids who grew up here in low-income households, their adult household-income rank (0–1). The average hides a gap by race:

White kids
0.460
All kids
0.427
Black kids
0.334

Research-only layer, shown here for context — not included in the CC BY 4.0 bulk download.

Where it’s happening

geocoded land-use decisions
🗺 Interactive map
Every rezoning, development approval, and permit — explore the geocoded records in the research explorer.
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