CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Sales Tax Distributions
The City of Lawrence has recently received its August sales tax distribution. The distribution is the result of retail sales from mid-June to mid-July. The amount budgeted in 2008 for total city sales tax revenue (city, county, and use taxes) equals $22,675,298.
In order to estimate monthly sales tax revenues, a trend analysis of previous distributions is used. The 2008 estimate is based upon actual 2007 revenue while the 2008 budgeted amount was based upon only a few months of 2007. Using this analysis, a projection of 2008 sales tax revenue was $22,602,146 or $73,152 less than the amount budgeted.
Actual distributions for the January through August period (reflecting mid-November through mid-July sales) total $15,311,371. Projections based on the trend analysis anticipated $14,998,950 for January through August collections. As a result, the actual distributions for the seven months are $312,421 more than the amount projected. A spreadsheet showing total monthly sales tax distributions since 2001 is attached.
The 2008 to date sales tax distributions represent an increase of 5.8% over the same period in 2007. The 2008 projected amount represents a 2.8% increase over the 2007 distribution. Based upon the first eight months results, it remains likely that our sales tax revenue will meet or exceed the budgeted amount.
University Place Neighborhood Association places historical sign in Veterans Park
The University Place Neighborhood Association installed a historical sign in Veterans Park on August 22. The sign was funded by a City of Lawrence Neighborhood Grant awarded in 2000. Luminous Neon constructed the sign and installed it. Michael Tubbs, Management Analyst, assisted with the process and Rowan Green of the Parks and Recreation Department helped place the sign. The sign is at the southwest corner of the tennis courts in Veterans Park and includes historical references to the post-World War II housing there in view of the University Place neighborhood. The picture reproduced on the sign is of the Benjamin Akers stock farm and racetrack, a nationally known horse farm in the 1870s. The Italianate brick house in the photo still exists, and the family who lives there was present at the dedication and ice-cream social on Sunday evening.
Year-to-year permit building permit fee comparisons
Development Services staff has prepared the following comparison between this year’s building permit fee numbers and previous years.
|
|
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
|
Total building permit fees assessed through July |
$559,516 |
$339,648 |
$508,902 |
|
No. of single-family permits through July |
162 |
101 |
53 |
|
No. of apt. permits – buildings greater than 4 units. (###) is number of units. |
11 permits (77 units) |
3 permits (30 units) |
14 permits (324 units) |
While single-family permits are considerably lower than past years, the year-to-date permit fees are closer to 2006 due to review and issuance of major nonresidential projects such as The Exchange apartments, Oread Inn, and Wal-Mart. Other projects such as The Links apartments and a couple of smaller apartment complexes south of Clinton Parkway between Inverness and Crossgate are being processed administratively through the site plan process.
Downtown Lawrence Inc. meeting presentation by Police Department
Police Officer Tina Shambaugh and Sergeant Paul Fellers attend the recent Downtown Lawrence Inc. breakfast meeting. Also in attendance were Commissioners Hack and Highberger along with City Manager David Corliss. Officer Shambaugh outlined several City ordinances of interest to downtown business owners, including the enforcement of trespass and panhandling ordinances. A number of the business owners present at the meeting requested that the City Commission conduct a review of existing laws and enforcement efforts, including downtown police department staffing, to determine if improvements could be made.