Edna Brubaker is a current shift supervisor for Douglas County Emergency Communications and has worked as a dispatcher in Douglas County for 31 years. She was a dispatcher for county units prior to the consolidation of the city and county dispatch units on Dec. 31, 1994.

Emergency Communications Center commemorates 30th anniversary, recognizes longtime dispatcher

In December of 1994 DGSO Dispatcher Edna Brubaker sits at a desk in a small room equipped with a computer, radio and phone, and she punches a card to track updates for the lone Douglas County Deputy that is on duty for the shift.

The deputy has just completed a traffic stop and has provided her with a location, vehicle description and the driver’s information. She writes all of this down by hand, paying close attention to every detail to ensure it is correct. 

Fast forward 30 years and Brubaker is sitting at a dispatch console equipped with 10 monitors, multiple computers and state-of-the-art technology designed to help her perform her job. She is now a shift supervisor, leading and guiding the next generation of 911 emergency professionals who commit to being the first first responder to members of our community.

The Douglas County Emergency Communications Center on Dec. 31 will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the consolidation of the city and county dispatchers that occurred in 1994.

Previously, dispatchers worked for the Lawrence Police Department and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and a computer would switch emergency calls placed from either inside Lawrence or from the county to the appropriate dispatch team.

“Establishing the Emergency Communications Center 30 years ago has turned out to be a wise decision in many ways, including that it connected the public safety community in Douglas County through the same voices of trained professionals who take those calls, keep people calm and get first responders the vital information we need to help save people and protect the community,” Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister said. “It was done in the name of efficiency and ensuring consistent services across the county, and we should celebrate how we have achieved that.”

• Full story

Jimmie Gillihan worked as a dispatcher for the Lawrence Police Department for 32 years and retired in 1995, which was just after the consolidation of the city and county's dispatch units to form Douglas County Emergency Communications on Dec. 31, 1994.

Renovation work is underway in the County Commission meeting room. The project preserves the room’s historic features – such as lighting, colors and layout – while equipping it with new audio-visual equipment.

Renovation of County Commission meeting room scheduled to be completed by Jan. 13

Renovation of the County Commission meeting room is scheduled to be finished Jan. 13, 2025, just in time for the swearing-in ceremony of elected officials. The renovation project includes fitting the room to accommodate five commissioners and repairing water damage that occurred in October 2022 from a fire sprinkler flood. 

The room is located on the second floor of the Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., which is listed on the national and state Register of Historic Places. The Courthouse was built in 1904, and the goal of the project has been to preserve the integrity of the room’s historic features while equipping it with modern technology.

Among highlights of the project:

• The layout of the room is being restored to its original configuration, based on a 1913 photo. The dais has been relocated to the south wall, where it now faces the main entrance. It has been expanded to accommodate five commissioners and is now accessible to comply with ADA standards.

• The ceiling has been finished in an acoustical plaster product to emulate the original plaster installation while improving the room’s acoustics. Decorative plaster medallions, which had been removed, were reproduced and installed on the ceiling. The new ceiling brings the room back to its original historic appearance.

• A new chandelier and wall sconces were manufactured and installed by a St. Louis company to match the original ones. The light fixtures emulate the original ones that were operated by gas in 1904.

For the full story: https://dgcoks.gov/news/122024

The Commission meeting room is pictured before the renovation project began in the spring.

The Commission meeting room is pictured on Dec. 19.

County to mark historic capital improvement project with groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 17

Douglas County will host a groundbreaking ceremony at 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, for the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center (JLEC) addition and renovation project as well as the Public Safety Building. The event will be on the south lawn of the JLEC, 111 E. Eleventh St.

The goal of the largest capital improvement project in the County’s history is to improve security for all users, improve operational efficiency and enhance technology availability.

The Board of County Commissioners approved a total project budget of $81.9 million during its meeting on Dec. 11, 2024. The project will not require a tax increase. It will be funded with bonds paid for within existing sales tax authority and cash on hand. 

Treanor Architects and J.E. Dunn Construction are the design and construction team for the project, which is expected to take approximately two years and six months to complete.

• Full story

A rendering of the 158,075-square-foot building that will be added to the south side of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center. Construction is scheduled to begin in January with completion in summer 2026.

A rendering of the new Public Safety Building that will be constructed near the Douglas County Correctional Facility, 3601 E. 25th St. Construction is scheduled to begin on this building in the spring of 2025 and take about one year to complete.

Judge Hanley elected to Board of Trustees for National Institute for Trial Advocacy

Master Deputy Austin Abram, center, receives the Sheriff's Medal of Valor for saving a man's life on Aug. 20, 2024, when he observed a vehicle parked in a field drive in the county and observed the man attempting to use a weapon to harm himself. Abram was able to stop the man and get proper help to save his life. He is pictured with Sheriff Jay Armbrister and Undersheriff Stacy Simmons.

Sheriff's Office, Emergency Communications honor employees during Winter Awards event

Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister and Undersheriff Stacy Simmons presented awards and commendations as part of the fourth annual DGSO Winter Awards event in November at Abe and Jake’s Landing. 

“We want to recognize the work of those in the Sheriff’s Office for their heroic actions in jobs that most can’t or won’t do and those who form the backbone of this agency by performing work the community might take for granted but can’t do without,” Armbrister said. 

Congratulations to this year’s recipients: 

• DGSO Distinguished Service Award – Maj. Steve Buchholz
• Operations Civilian Employee of the Year – Kari Abram, records clerk
• Corrections Civilian Employee of the Year – Colin Low, Network Administrator II
• Corrections Supervisor of the Year – Lt. Rich Qualls
• Operations Supervisor of the Year – Sgt. Travis Warren
• Corrections Deputy of the Year – Deputy Chance Vopat 
• Operations Deputy of the Year – Deputy Chase Coleman
• Corrections Officer of the Year – Officer Alicia Villegas
• Teamwork Award – Deputy Leo Souders
• Peer to Peer Award – Master Corrections Officer Kyle Appleby
• Life-Saving Award – Lt. Caleb Chaffin, Master Deputy Bryon Revell, Master Deputy Evan Hermesch, Lt. Andrew Burgen, Corrections Officer Kathryn Hanshaw, Deputy Drake Martin, Sgt. Mark Grimmett, and Corrections Officer Zach Rice
• Operations Commendation – Deputy Carson Rhoades, Deputy Allison Jessee, Master Deputy Bryon Revell, and Master Deputy Karrington Johnson
• Medal of Valor – Master Deputy Austin Abram

Maj. Steve Buchholz, left, receives the Sheriff's Distinguished Service Award for 26 years of service with the Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Jay Armbrister, left, and Undersheriff Stacy Simmons, right, present the Sheriff's Life-Saving Award to Sgt. Mark Grimmett, Corrections Officer Kathryn Hanshaw, Lt. Andrew Burgen and Deputy Drake Martin (not pictured) for their role in saving a person in custody who was trying to harm himself in the Douglas County Jail.

Emergency Communications Director Tony Foster and Deputy Director Sonya Baeza also presented awards. Congratulations to the recipients:

• Telecommunicator of the Year - Jacob Russell
• COII of the Year - Bailey Ngnatat 
• Administrator of the Year - Michelle Marino 
• Supervisor of the Year - Kathleen Haehl
• Teamwork Award - Heather Belcher, Jesse Linnebur, and Andy Miller
• Distinguished Service Award - Sarah McClellan
• Spirit of the ECC Award - Brenda Dill
• Initiative Award - Alexi Boller, Rainey Lewis
• Unit Citation Award for Brandon Woods structure fire response - Betsy Anderson, Corey Ball, Heather Belcher, Kathleen Haehl, Marj Hedden, Andy Miller, Tim Reisbig, and Travis Smith
• Unit Citation Award for June 13 shooting in Lawrence response - Jeremy Kohler, Rainey Lewis, Sarah McClellan, and Eavie Vess
• Unit Citation Award for Sept. 23 disturbance with weapons call response - Summer Lavullis, Rainey Lewis, Jesse Linnebur, and Sarah McClellan
• Unit Citation Award for July 31 windstorm response - Edna Brubaker, Rainey Lewis, Jesse Linnebur, Jonathan Seeley, and Eavie Vess

Emergency Communications Director Tony Foster, left, and Deputy Director Sonya Baeza, right, present dispatchers with a Unit Citation Award for handling calls and communicating with first responders during the Aug. 19 fire at Brandon Woods senior living facility. Dispatchers, from left, are Kathleen Haehl, Betsy Anderson and Corey Ball. Not pictured are: Heather Belcher, Marj Hedden, Andy Miller, Tim Reisbig and Travis Smith.

Chair Karen Willey

Vice Chair Shannon Reid

Patrick Kelly

The Board of County Commissioners took the following action on regular business agenda items in December. They unanimously approved:

• the 2024 amended county budget.
• an employment contract for the County Administrator.
• a revised 2025 County Partner Funding Agreement with the Douglas County Extension Council.
• a total project budget of $81.9 million for the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center addition and renovation project and a new Public Safety Building.
• Kansas Sky Energy Center’s agrivoltaics and vegetation plan and stormwater management plan for a commercial-size solar farm north of Lawrence.

The Commission approved revisions to the county code for animal control with Commissioners Kelly and Reid voting for the item and Commissioner Willey opposed.

* Recordings of the meetings can be found on the Douglas County YouTube channel.

Historic meeting - Jan. 15

The next Board of County Commissioners meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15. It will be the first meeting of the newly-expanded five-member board. Gene Dorsey and Erica Anderson were elected to two-year terms in November 2024 and Commissioners Karen Willey and Shannon Reid were re-elected to four-year terms in November 2024. They will join Commissioner Patrick Kelly, who has two years remaining on his current four-year term.

They are scheduled to meet in the newly-renovated Commission meeting room, located on the second floor of the County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., in downtown Lawrence. The meeting will also be available by Zoom.

Information sessions about Land Protection Program scheduled for January

Douglas County has partnered with the Kansas Land Trust (KLT) to launch the Douglas County Land Protection Program. 

It is a pilot program to promote and facilitate voluntary, permanent land conservation pathways for private landowners whose land provides significant public benefit in Douglas County. The program will provide funding to cover costs related to developing, establishing and upholding conservation easements, lowering the often-high cost for landowners seeking permanent conservation of their property.

Information sessions will be held:

• Wednesday, Jan. 8, 6-7 p.m., Lawrence Public Library auditorium, 707 Vermont St., Lawrence.
• Tuesday, Jan. 14, 10-11 a.m., Lecompton Community Building, 333 Elmore St., Lecompton.
• Thursday, Jan. 16, 2-3 p.m., Lone Star Lake Community Building, 665 E. 665 Road, Lawrence.

The application deadline is Feb. 28. Projects will be selected by March 31.

News release: https://www.dgcoks.gov/news/120324

Personal property owners are no longer required by state to file annual form with Appraiser's Office

Kansas personal property owners are no longer required to file an annual reporting form, known as a rendition, with the County Appraiser’s Office if there have been no changes.

In 2024, Kansas lawmakers removed the annual reporting requirement for taxpayers if there is an accurate description, or rendition, on file and there have been no changes to their personal property. The change was made in Senate Bill 410 that amended the Kansas Statute that addresses the listing and filing requirements for personal property. Personal property includes items such as mobile homes, recreational vehicles, trailers and boats, as well as oil and gas leases. In Douglas County, there are approximately 7,200 personal property accounts.

Personal property owners are still required to notify the County Appraiser’s Office if there are changes to their personal property. Examples of changes that should be reported include:

• Purchase of new personal property
• Sale of personal property
• Changes in the use
• Changes where the property is stored

Additionally, penalty fees for filing late or failure to file have been reduced. The fees vary widely depending on how late it is filed. For example, a late filing fee of $20 may be as low as $5 under the new law.

News release: https://dgcoks.gov/news/121624

During its Dec. 10 meeting, the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council elected its first executive committee pursuant to the new bylaws. Executive Committee members, pictured from left, are Vice Chair Susan Benkelman, Chief Court Services Officer for District Court; Chair Jessica Glendening, Chief Public Defender for the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services; and Member-at-Large Brad Finkeldei, Lawrence Commissioner. They are pictured with CJCC Coordinator Katy Fitzgerald.

Criminal Justice Coordinating Council identifies priorities for 2025-2027

The Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) held a strategic planning retreat in December when four priorities were identified for the 2025-2027 strategic plan:

• Enhanced system data metrics
• Enhanced existing pretrial processes
• Maximizing criminal justice system resources
• Increased community education

A full draft version of the strategic plan will be available for review and adoption at the next CJCC meeting at 11 a.m. Feb. 11.

Applications open for community-member appointments

The CJCC has three community member seats under the new bylaws that are open for applications. Terms are for two years. The CJCC meets bi-monthly with meetings scheduled for the second Tuesday of the following months: February, April, June, August, October and December.

Anyone who is interested can apply by filling out the board application form that is located on the Douglas County website: http://dgcoks.org/boardapplication. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13.

CJCC Executive Committee members will reach out to applicants, and they will provide their recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners for appointments to the CJCC.

If you have questions, please fill out this contact form.

Douglas County roads added to U.S. Bicycle Route System

This month, Adventure Cycling Association announced that four new routes have been added to the U.S. Bicycle Route System, and one of the routes goes through Lawrence and Douglas County. It uses the Lawrence Loop and it passes by Wells Overlook Park.

Route USBR 55 is a north-south route that begins in Caney, Kan., and continues north for 288 miles passing through 10 counties, including Douglas, before it ends in Irving, Kan.

.

The U.S. Bicycle Route System is a developing national network of officially designated, numbered and signed routes that use existing roads, trails and other facilities appropriate for bike travel. 

• News release

Registration deadline for local Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is Jan. 24

Douglas County is seeking applications for the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge! The event will be 8:30 a.m.-noon Friday, Feb. 7, at The Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center, 2920 Haskell Ave., in Lawrence.

The competition is open to students who are in grades 6 through 12 and reside in Douglas County. The event consists of a written summary, elevator pitch, presentation and trade show display. Students compete for $3,000 in prize money. The registration deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24.

This will be the seventh year for the Douglas County event. During past competitions, students have pitched businesses that offer swimming lessons, resale clothing, jewelry, baked goods, pet sitting, lawn tool rental service and more.

The Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is sponsored by Network Kansas, Douglas County, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and K-State Research and Extension - Douglas County.

• News release

Community invited to free screenings of 'It's Basic'

Douglas County has partnered with community agencies to present a screening of the award-winning documentary, “It’s Basic,” which looks at pilot programs that test the effects of giving people an extra $500 to $1,000 monthly with no strings attached.

There will be two screening events:

• Lawrence - Tuesday, Jan. 28, 5:30-8 p.m. at the Lawrence Public Library auditorium, 707 Vermont St.
• Eudora - Wednesday, Feb. 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Eudora High School auditorium, 2203 Church St.

Following the screenings, a panel of local leaders will discuss insights from the film, address the impact of poverty on families in Douglas County, and explore local initiatives aimed at establishing a guaranteed income program.

The events are open to the public at no cost. Refreshments will be available. Free child care will be offered at the event in Eudora.

The events are organized by the Douglas County Community Health Plan’s Anti-Poverty work group, which includes Douglas County, United Way of Kaw Valley, Eudora Schools Foundation, LiveWell Douglas County, and Engage Douglas County.

• News release

Douglas County Government offices and District Court will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 1, in observance of New Year's Day. We wish you a healthy and happy 2025!

Judicial and Law Enforcement Center:

111 East 11th Street

Lawrence, KS 66044