Our Vision
We envision collaborative governance that empowers all stakeholders—residents, community organizations, businesses, and city government—to shape local policies, budgets, and outcomes.
Video of Candidate Forum and Candidates’ Written Answers!
Our coalition hosted a conversation with City Commission and School Board candidates about community engagement, governmental collaboration, and transparency.
You can watch a video of the forum here.
You can also read the very thoughtful replies we’ve received from 8 of the 11 candidates here: City Commission Candidate Answers and School Board Candidate Answers.
We were grateful to bring Commission and School Board candidates together to discuss increased collaboration between elected officials and their constituents, as well as increased collaboration between these two governing bodies.
News!
See interactive chart of yearly changes in average City utility fees below and the Lawrence Times article about this issue. Research provided by Holly Krebs, 9/14/25
Lawrence City Commission Considering Debt that Might Not Be Sustainable,
by Holly Krebs in The Lawrence Times, 8/31/25
Coalition Comments on Debt, City Commission 2026 Budget Public Hearing
City of Lawrence Budget
Budget Analysis, Engagement, and Advocacy
To facilitate greater understanding and transparency regarding the City’s 2026 Budget, our coalition:
Conducted an independent analysis of the City’s current and proposed budgets.
Published reports and articles to educate the community about the City budget.
Asked the City for increased transparency and public engagement regarding their budget.
Hosted A Community Conversation about the City Budget.
Produced our own community engagement survey to capture the public’s opinions about the City budget.
Presented before the Commission about their proposed 2026 Capital Improvement Plan, budget, and Parks & Rec fees.
Petition to Empower Lawrence Voices
The Coalition for Collaborative Governance requests that the City of Lawrence:
Collaboratively engage with our community to drive their decision-making.
Transparently provide complete and easy-to-access information.
Be accountable to our community in their actions and practices.
Our Goals
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Develop more collaborative relationships between our local government and its residents.
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Identify recurrent challenges and successful practices in local governmental processes.
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Promote solutions to make our local government’s cultures, policies, and practices more transparent, collaborative, and accountable.