The Douglas County Elections Office is located at 711 W. 23rd St., Suite 1, which is in the shopping mall at the southwest corner of 23rd and Louisiana streets.

The primary election will be August 2, and polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. To find your voter information, visit: http://dgcoks.org/voterinfo

The ballot will include nominations for statewide offices, state representatives, county commissioner, precinct committee-persons and township officers in addition to a constitutional question. Republicans and Democrats will vote their party’s ballot. Unaffiliated voters may affiliate with one of those parties at their polling place or they may vote a question-only ballot. Libertarians will vote the question-only ballot. 

The advance voting schedule is:

• July 28-29, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Douglas County Elections Office, 711 W. 23^rd St., Suite 1.
• July 30, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Douglas County Elections Office, Lecompton City Hall, Eudora City Hall and Baldwin City Fire Station. 
• Aug. 1, 8 a.m.-noon, Douglas County Elections Office.

Mail-in ballots need to be postmarked by Aug. 2.

Katy Fitzgerald joins Douglas County as the new Criminal Justice Coordinator.

New Criminal Justice Coordinator has worked

in criminal justice, behavioral health, data analysis

Douglas County has hired Katy Fitzgerald as the Criminal Justice Coordinator. Fitzgerald will primarily work on justice issues, including facilitation and coordination of the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. Katy’s first day with Douglas County will be July 29.

“I am incredibly excited to have Katy join our team in Douglas County. She has a wealth of experience in criminal justice and behavioral health and will help us continue to lead in these areas,” County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said. “Katy firmly believes that everyone deserves an advocate in their corner. It is this belief that drives her passion for her work with those involved in, impacted by, and partners of, the criminal justice system.”

Fitzgerald comes to Douglas County from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where she has been a management analyst in the Criminal Justice Services Department since January 2014. Prior to joining Criminal Justice Services, Katy’s career began as a community mental health clinician, providing mental health and substance abuse treatment to adults and juveniles across the spectrum of criminal justice involvement, including several years as a clinician in a North Carolina Youth Development Center and as a care coordinator for the local managed care organization. 

News release

Researchers to present findings from pedestrian and traffic stop data in Douglas County

Researchers will present findings from their examination of pedestrian and traffic stop data during the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) meeting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, using Zoom. The data has been collected in conjunction with the CJCC and with Douglas County law enforcement agencies.

The CJCC and other stakeholders hired Northeastern University in 2019 to provide criminal justice research services through a $175,000 contract. Researchers Jack McDevitt, of Northeastern University, and Janice Iwama, of American University, helped develop and implement a program for documenting traffic and pedestrian stops in Douglas County. That process involved developing a leadership team, identifying existing data collection possibilities, developing training for law enforcement officers, establishing an audit process and analyzing data from more than 20,000 traffic and pedestrian stops.

They began collecting data Jan. 1, 2020, from the KU Police Department, Lawrence Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Baldwin City Police Department and Eudora Police Department. McDevitt and Iwama have been analyzing data to determine if any racial and ethnic disparities exist, and they will be providing related recommendations. They will be meeting with all of the participating law enforcement agencies.

A public presentation will be given at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, in the auditorium of the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St.

Commissioners reach agreement on 2023 budget with decrease of one mill

The Board of County Commissioners reached an agreement July 20 on an approximately $163.7 million budget for 2023. They agreed on a mill levy of 46.380 mills, which is a decrease of one mill from 2022. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value.

The 2023 budget included growth in property values (assessed valuation) of 12.44%. This higher than traditional rate of growth allowed the Commission to reduce the mill levy by $2.2 million in the general fund. The 2023 proposed budget does not eliminate any current county services.

The budget will be adopted during a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 24 that will be held during the County Commission business meeting.

News release

Broken Arrow Park, 31st and Louisiana streets, will be the site for a new community garden.

New community garden to be established

in Broken Arrow Park; individual plots available

A new garden site is being added at Broken Arrow Park, 31st and Louisiana streets, through Common Ground, the community gardening and urban agriculture program that's available through the Lawrence-Douglas County Sustainability Office.

The new community garden is a partnership between Common Ground and Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health and was funded through a Kansas Department of Health and Environment Chronic Disease Risk Reduction grant.

The Broken Arrow Community Garden will feature two communal garden beds, two ADA-accessible beds and 10 individual plots that can be rented for a small fee. Applications for the individual plots will be accepted on a rolling basis, but will be first come, first served. The garden will also welcome volunteers and groups interested in pitching in for a few hours.

For more information, please contact Common Ground Program Manager Umut Bayramoglu at ubayramoglu@douglascountyks.org or 785-312-2347.

Community invited to participate in reentry simulation exercise in October

Douglas County is offering a reentry simulation exercise to the community in October. This educational outreach event highlights the challenges faced by people transitioning from time in custody back into the community.

“Being incarcerated or being put in jail is a huge disruption to anybody’s life. We are talking about losing a job, potentially losing relationships with family members, losing housing, suffering from addiction or suffering from mental health challenges,” said Carrie Neis, Reentry Director at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. “None of that generally gets better while you are in custody, so having the reentry program helps bridge that gap from getting out of custody to being successful in the community.”

The reentry simulation, which will be 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, is designed to allow stakeholders and community members to gain a perspective on potential challenges people face as they work to return to the community. These new perspectives can potentially help guide policy discussions that can help improve conditions that contribute to a successful reentry for more community members.

To learn about how reentry services influence people's lives in Douglas County, watch Brandon Scrimsher's story: bit.ly/DGRe-EntryStory.

Left to right: Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett, Russell County Attorney Daniel Krug, Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez, Logan County Attorney Craig Uhrich and Butler County Attorney Darrin Devinney represented Kansas at the National District Attorneys Association's 2022 Summer Summit.

District Attorney Valdez attends national summit

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez recently joined other Kansas prosecutors at the 2022 National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) Summer Summit in Denver. 

The theme for this year’s annual conference of state and local prosecutors from across the nation was “The Evolution of the Digital Prosecutor” and featured sessions on digital evidence, forensics, e-Discovery and e-Warrants.

Want to avoid waiting in line at the Douglas County Treasurer’s Office to renew your motor vehicle tag? Several options are available:

• Online at https://ikan.ks.gov. Even if it’s the end of the month, you can still renew online! There is a 10-day grace period to allow the Treasurer’s Office time to process and mail a new registration receipt and decal. If customers have a payment receipt - printed or electronic - they can’t be charged with failing to display a registration decal.
• By mail at P.O. Box 884, Lawrence, KS 66044.
• By drop box at 2000 W. 31st St. or 1100 Massachusetts St., both in Lawrence.

Douglas County Commission Chair Shannon Reid speaks during the dedication ceremony in June for the Treatment & Recovery Center.

Reid selected for network to expand data-sharing efforts across behavioral health and justice systems

The National Association of Counties announced that Douglas County Commissioner Shannon Reid has been selected to join the inaugural cohort of its Familiar Faces Leadership Network. This group is committed to improving life outcomes for high-needs residents with complex behavioral health conditions.

As a participant, Reid will engage with 12 fellow elected officials from across the country who are building similar efforts in their jurisdictions. They will participate in peer site visits to communities with model data-sharing practices and receive technical assistance from advisory board members.

Reid also will work with Douglas County staff, including Director of Behavioral Health Projects Bob Tryanski and Senior Data Analyst Matt Cravens, as well as community partners.

News release

We're seeking to hire, offer excellent benefits

Douglas County has a variety of job openings available, including:

• Firefighter for Consolidated Fire District No. 1
• Equipment operator and maintenance worker in Public Works
• Corrections Officers for Correctional Facility and Juvenile Detention Center
• Coroner Scene Investigator for Sheriff’s Office
• Combination Building Inspector in Zoning and Codes Department
• Project/Software Manager in IT
• AmeriCorps member

For more information and a full list of Douglas County job openings, visit: http://dgcoks.org/jobs

Sheriff's Office seeking corrections officers; teamwork key to successful career

Sheriff’s Office Corrections Academy recruits participated in team-building exercises and challenges on July 15 to help them grow closer as a group and learn about communication and teamwork — skills that are vital for corrections officers during their career.

In this video, Officer Kyle Appleby of the DGSO Training Division talks about why team-building day has been an important piece of the Corrections Academy since the exercise was instituted a few years ago.

Anyone interested in learning more about a career as a corrections officer can use the the DGSO text line. Text "JoinDGSO" to 785-384-4482 to talk or chat with us.

For more information about job opportunities with the Sheriff's Office, visit: https://bit.ly/DGSOJobs.

This three digit number - 988 – will connect you to a crisis call center staffed by trained counselors who are prepared to help you navigate any mental health concern. Learn more at ksphq.org/988

Judicial and Law Enforcement Center:

111 East 11th Street

Lawrence, KS 66044