Business vs. Residential Tax Burden in Lawrence/Douglas County

Abstract

In November of 2002 the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce asked me to look at available data on the relationship between local commercial growth and residential expansion to determine if imbalances in growth rates had resulted in an increase in the tax burden on residents. More generally, the Chamber expressed an interest in how local growth patterns have affected the cost of living in the area. This report addresses these issues to the extent that the available data permit.