2008 Annual Report - Page 2

City Manager’s Message

Dear Lawrence citizens,

On behalf of the employees of the City of Lawrence thank you for your continued support and your interest in our community.  Lawrence is a special and remarkable place – and City employees work everyday to keep Lawrence the strong and vibrant community that we all enjoy. In 2008, voter support for the three sales tax initiatives provided a strong statement of confidence for the continuation and enhancement of our transit and infrastructure services.  I believe voter support was also a vote of confidence for city services and the work performed – 365/24/7 – in every part of our community by City employees.   As this annual report shows, we accomplished a great deal in 2008 – yet we are not resting on those achievements and milestones.  Perhaps more so during challenging economic times, we are focusing efforts on efficient and effective use of all of our resources while continuing our tradition of excellent service delivery.  

Please feel free to contact me if you ever have questions or concerns regarding City services (dcorliss@ci.lawrence.ks.us) (832-3400).  Again, thank you for your support and interest in Lawrence.

Sincerely,

David L. Corliss

City Manager

Mayor’s message

Dear Lawrence Citizens;
As Mayor, I learned a lot from our community in 2008.  I learned that there is widespread and strong support for our city services.  I learned that we are willing to support those services and passed three sales tax initiatives to do so.  For the next 10 years, the community has provided a stable resource to improve our streets, replace fire trucks and create a public transit system that can thrive.

The foundations are already in place for a strategic approach to repairing, building and maintaining the community assets that will be created using dedicated sales tax funds.  A management system for street condition continues to identify where the best return on our maintenance dollar can be achieved, the stormwater and parks master plans point to key needs, a vehicle replacement plan being used by Fire Medical will guide truck replacement and we have moved further with our coordinated transit system and the work to improve the efficiencies of public transportation.

Last year was about gathering the resources and support for community priorities. In the year ahead, we can look forward to making progress.

I would also like to recognize the city employees who work hard every day to deliver excellent city services. This dedicated group is responsible for the the daily operations that keep Lawrence families safe and make the community a great place to live.

I am pleased to deliver the 2008 annual report on city programs and services. This report highlights some – but not all – of the accomplishments and improvements to our community in 2008.  To learn more about last year and city services, visit the city’s website at www.lawrenceks.org.
Sincerely

Michael Dever

Mayor