Why was a flier included in October’s city utility bills about the library bond issue?
Megan Gilliland, communications coordinator for the city, said the one-third sheet of paper was placed in utility bills at the expense of the Lawrence Public Library. The library paid $600 for the printing of the flier. The city’s mailing costs were not increased because the one-third sheet did not push the billings into a new weight category. Gilliland said the city felt comfortable placing the flier in with utility bills because it was deemed an educational piece, not one advocating for the passage of the $18 million bond issue. The flier provided a summary of what the expansion would include, but did not ask residents to vote for the project. It did include sections titled: Why is this project needed? and What happens if the referendum does not pass? Gilliland said the Vote Yes for the Library group did not provide any of the funding for the mailing. She also said the mailing was consistent with an information flier that was inserted in utility bills during the 2008 election season when infrastructure and sales tax questions were on the ballot.