CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending Sept 8, 2006

Building Permits Report Shows Overall Increase Over 2005

The attached staff memo contains data on building permits issued for the period January through August 2006. Single family, fourplex, and apartment permits have increased over the same period last year, while duplex and business permits have decreased. The overall number of permits issued has also increased.

Biosolids Achievement Profiled by the Innovation Groups

The City of Lawrence is only the tenth city nationwide to be certified under the National Biosolids Partnership’s Environmental Management System program. The achievement was recently highlighted in the newsletter of the Innovation Groups, a member organization that seeks to assist local governments “build and sustain the capacity to be innovative…by transforming cultures, improving the quality of our thinking and creativity, maximizing technology, and providing a network for leaders in local government.”

Grant Team Holds First Meeting

The City’s Grant Team held its first meeting on Wednesday, September 6. Representatives from all departments are part of the Grant Team, which met to begin preparing an action plan and a report to the City Commission. The first report to the City Commission should come sometime in mid-late October, and will detail both the successes and shortcomings of the City’s grant seeking efforts. The goals of the Grant Team include improving grant efforts through training, technology, and best practices, as well as keeping City Management and the City Commission informed of city wide grant activities.