Lawrence
Toward transparency
Lawrence leaders want local input before building next budget
By Jill Harmacinski
Staff Writer
LAWRENCE — What will it be: New sidewalks, better snow plowing or cheaper water and sewer rates?
The mayor and City Council want to know what folks want from the next city budget. Tomorrow night, residents and businesspeople can tell them during an open forum at the senior center.
This is an important step for Lawrence and a good indicator of how sincere the elected officials are in running a transparent and participatory budgeting process. It’s a good example for other cities, not to mention the state Legislature. Imagine a process like this held in regional centers around the state that gave people to power to weigh in on the state budget with the knowledge that their hopes and concerns would be heard.
