Lawrence City board conditionally approves Howard Companies roundabout contract

The Lawrence City Board of Public Works and Safety voted Oct. 9 to approve a contract with Howard Companies for a roundabout at 70 Fifth Street and Oakland Road, contingent on the city’s receipt of an E-Verify affidavit, Public Works Director Renee Rafala said.

Rafala told the board the project is grant funded and the total contract amount is $1,184,846.25. She said the funding is structured as an 80/20 split, with Lawrence City responsible for 20% of the cost, roughly $236,969.25.

“I'm asking for conditional approval. We are missing 1 piece of the contract. It's an E-Verify affidavit, and the attorney said that we could ask for approval pending the receipt of that affidavit, if you would consider it,” Rafala said.

The chair of the board asked for a motion that would mirror Rafala’s request for conditional approval. A board member moved to approve the contract pending receipt of the affidavit; another board member seconded the motion. The board voted in favor and the motion carried. The transcript records the vote as voice approval (“aye”); no roll-call vote or individual board member names were recorded in the transcript.

The item was taken up as new business after the board approved regular meeting minutes from the Sept. 25, 2025, meeting. No members of the public spoke on the contract at the meeting, and the board adjourned shortly after the vote.

Action details and next steps show the contract award is effective subject to the city receiving the required E-Verify affidavit from Howard Companies. The transcript does not specify which grant provides the funding, the timeline for construction, or the department assigned to oversee implementation; those details were not specified during the meeting.