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WEDNESDAY • APRIL 22 • 2015
Fiery rite of
SCHOOL FUNDING
Lawmakers face surprise $25M hit to Kan. budget
SPRING
By John Hanna Associated Press
Richard Gwin/Journal World-Photos
JON BOYD, MANAGER OF THE BAKER WETLANDS COMPLEX, watches the fire spread Tuesday at the Wetlands. The area is burned every spring to get rid of dead vegetation and enrich new growth. See the video at LJWorld.com/wetlandsburn
New commission set for more study of police headquarters, other goals By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
More meetings about the need for a police headquarters are on tap, and perhaps a blue-ribbon commission also may be in store for the multimillion-dollar topic. Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday agreed to find an out-of-town consultant to facilitate a goalsetting session for the new commission, which had three new members begin serving last week. A discussion about public safety is among the six topics commissioners have agreed to discuss at the session. But two of the new commissioners — top vote-win-
ner Leslie Soden and secondplace finisher Stuart Boley — asked commissioners to Soden also form a new “blueribbon commission” that will take a broad look at police issues that go well beyond facility needs. “We need to build something for the next 20 years, not just for today,” Boley said as he asked the commission to consider a blue-ribbon commission. “I need to learn more before I can make decisions on this issue.”
The other three commissioners stopped short of saying they were ready to form a blue-ribbon commission to study the topic. They noted that the police department and city-hired consultants have assembled a lot of information on the need for a new police headquarters. “I’m a little confused about what level of expertise the general community is going to have on what the needs of law enforcement will be in 30 years,” said newly elected commissioner Matthew Herbert. Soden, though, said much of the information compiled by the city has focused on facilities. She said she would want a blue-ribbon commis-
sion to take a more “global view” of police department needs, including how the police department can play a role in the community’s mental health care system. Mayor Jeremy Farmer suggested that the City Commission begin by having a formal goal-setting session. City commissioners agreed to direct staff members to look for a consultant that could facilitate a one- to two-day retreat where commissioners would discuss goals they have for the commission and the community. Farmer suggested that the consultant be someone who doesn’t have any ties to the community or
Topeka — Kansas faces an additional $25 million hit in its next state budget to provide the aid it promised to public schools — something officials learned less than three weeks after Republican Gov. Sam Brownback signed legislation to prevent such surprises. State officials said Tuesday that a property tax imposed by the state for schools is expected to generate $17.5 million less than previously anticipated during the fiscal year beginning July 1. Officials also predict that aid to school districts for construction projects will cost LEGISLATURE $7.5 million more than previously estimated. Shawn Sullivan, Brownback’s budget director, briefly mentioned both issues during a news conference Monday to outline a new, more pessimistic fiscal forecast for state government, revising one from November. The new forecast widened a shortfall for lawmakers to close to about $400 million. Please see BUDGET, page 2A
Reports show college tuition rising as state funding declines By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
Topeka — A pair of reports released this month document a national trend in higher education that is also visible in Kansas: Please see GOALS, page 2A declining levels of public support, resulting in higher tuition costs for students and their families. The two reports came from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association and limited taxpayer dollars. in the survey. Commissioners the American AssociaThe idea of a resident survey intend to discuss moving ahead tion of University Profesisn’t a new one for Lawrence. with the survey at the commissors. Both suggest that The commission had surveys sion’s May 5 meeting. declining state support conducted in 2007 and 2011. City officials hope the survey for higher education is the The 2011 level survey’s main can be completed in late May primary reason for the risfinding was that residents had or early June so that its findings CITY ing cost of tuition. COMMISSION can be used as commissioners concerns about the condition “Net tuition revenue typof city streets but were pleased create a 2016 budget this sumically grows faster when with other City Hall service levels. mer. The survey firm plans to send the state and local revenues fail Commissioners at their Tuesday survey to 2,500 residents, then will to keep pace with enrollevening meeting stopped short of follow up with telephone calls and also ment growth and inflation, giving final approval for the survey to will give residents an online option for because more students pay begin. Instead, commissioners wanted completing the survey. tuition and some instituadditional time to look at the proposed tions may charge more to — Chad Lawhorn list of questions that will be included compensate for declining
City supports hiring firm to conduct residents survey City commissioners are a step closer to finding out what Lawrence residents think about City Hall and the job it is doing. Commissioners at their Tuesday evening meeting expressed support for hiring an Olathe-based consulting firm to conduct a scientific survey gauging how residents feel about city services such as police, fire, water, sewer, streets, sidewalks, parks and recreation and others. The survey, which will be conducted by ETC Institute, also will ask about downtown issues, tax issues and priorities for how the city should spend
Please see REPORTS, page 6A
INSIDE
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Today’s forecast, page 6A
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Double fatality A Lawrence couple died Monday when their motor home crashed along Interstate 64 in Illinois. Page 3A
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It’s too complex to say declining state aid is the only factor (in rising tuition costs), but it certainly is a factor.” — Fred Logan, of the Kansas Board of Regents
Vol.157/No.112 32 pages