Lawrence Transit weighs sales tax extension, service cuts loom in 2029

A small change at the cash register could decide whether Lawrence keeps the bus system riders know today. Lawrence Transit is weighing whether to ask voters this November to raise its sales tax from 0.2% to 0.3%, a move that would add 10 cents on a $100 taxable purchase but could help avoid deeper cuts if the current tax expires in 2029.

Transit director Felice Lavergne has called the existing tax critical to keeping service at its current level. Without a replacement or extension, city officials say Lawrence could face a leaner network with fewer trips, less frequency and harder choices about which routes survive, especially for people who depend on buses to get to work, school, medical appointments and errands across Douglas County and Lawrence.

The timing is tight. City commissioners would need to shape a ballot question this summer, and the deadline to file it with the county clerk is Sept. 1 to make the November ballot. Lawrence Transit is not only talking about preserving the tax at 0.2%; it is also considering asking for the higher 0.3% rate so the system can build reserves before federal funding changes in 2027 and before the current service contract expires in 2029.

That broader financial picture reaches beyond buses alone. City leaders are also weighing whether to ask voters in November 2027 to renew a separate 0.3% infrastructure sales tax that sunsets in 2029. If that tax is not renewed, staff have said about $20 million in out-year projects would go unfunded. Together, the transit and infrastructure questions show how heavily Lawrence is leaning on sales tax to cover basic public services and capital needs.

The transit money would also affect projects already on the books. City materials say the downtown bus station project carries a $2.03 million budget, including $406,000 from local transit sales-tax funding and $1.624 million from a Kansas Department of Transportation grant. The project is meant to replace and improve the existing downtown transfer point with driver restrooms, individual bus bays, seating and wind protection, canopy coverage and digital next-departure signage. An average of 561 riders boarded the downtown stop across from the library each day in 2023.

Lawrence Transit launched in 2000 and has long depended on a mix of federal, state and local support. City documents say the system is projecting roughly $3.8 million to $4 million in annual federal operating assistance, and the 2024 route redesign tied service more closely to Central Station and better access to jobs, education, groceries and medical care. The 0.3% proposal would also help keep buses fare-free through 2029, making the ballot decision about more than a tax rate: it will determine how much transit Lawrence can afford to preserve.