From left, Deb Wright and Holly Myers, of Criminal Justice Services, and Vance Collins, of the Sheriff's Office, were honored on Feb. 25 for 30 years of service with Douglas County.

County recognizes employees with Service Awards

Douglas County hosted its third annual Employee Service Awards luncheon on Feb. 25 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. During the event, 64 employees who celebrated a milestone work anniversary - 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years - in 2024 were recognized. Employees who retired during the past year were also honored. Together, they represented a combined 907 years of service to Douglas County.

Three employees were recognized for 30 years of service with Douglas County. They were Vance Collins, Records Manager for the Sheriff’s Office; Holly Myers, Assistant Director of Adult Programs for Criminal Justice Services; and Deb Wright, Adult Service Supervisor for Criminal Justice Services. 

Collins is the manager for warrants, civil process and records with the Sheriff’s Office where he supervises the front office. Myers provides oversight and direction to adult programs which include Pretrial, Specialty Courts, Enhanced Diversion, House Arrest, Community Service Work and Adult Community Corrections. Wright provides supervision and direction to the Community Service Work program and the Adult Community Corrections program.

Douglas County employs 508 individuals, and County Administrator Sarah Plinsky appreciates their service.

“Our employees form the backbone of our organization. The work they perform as public servants holds immense significance. Public service, to me, is both a calling and a conscious choice to serve the community - a choice laden with great responsibility and profound rewards. It is truly an honor and a privilege to work alongside them," she said.

From left, Doug Miller, Facility Maintenance Specialist, Grounds, Buildings and Maintenance Department; Brad Ayers, Public Works Superintendent, Public Works Department; and Nolan Packard, Engineering Inspections Supervisor, Public Works Department; were honored for 25 years of service with the county.

From left, Kimberly Jones, Juvenile Corrections Officer, Criminal Justice Services; Sowji Seetala, Principal Developer, Information Technology; and Agamani Sen, Civil Engineer III, Public Works Department, were recognized for 20 years of service with Douglas County.

Lawrence Dao and Daniel Dao, of Lawrence Virtual School, received first-place honors at this year's Douglas County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge.

Lawrence Virtual School siblings named Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge champs

Ninth-grader Lawrence Dao and seventh-grader Daniel Dao, of Lawrence Virtual School, received first place in the Douglas County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on Feb. 7 at the Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center. The brothers received a $1,250 check and now qualify for the state competition in April in Manhattan. Their business idea, “Don’t Panic AI Tutors,” would offer tutoring and workshops that aim to demystify AI, spark curiosity and equip students with the skills they need for a tech-driven future.

They were among nine students, representing seven businesses, who competed in the challenge.

The other top-prize cash winners were:

• Second place – Ninth-grader Felix Kirkland, of Lawrence High School, $1,000. His business idea, Wedding Crushers, would create unique souvenir coins for wedding couples and guests.
• Third place – Seventh-graders Abhirup Maity and Grayson Barker, of Billy Mills Middle School, $500. They pitched a food truck concept that would offer healthy and fresh Mediterranean dishes, including pita tacos and caprese salad.
• Fourth place – Senior Emily Hulce, of Baldwin High School, $250. She crafts unique jewelry pieces and the name of her business is Vivien’s Customs.

These students received honorable mention and a cash prize of $200: Junior Daniela Pena, of Lawrence High School; Ninth-grader Boonta Singmanich, of Lawrence High School; and Senior Luzhilari Mathurin, of Lawrence High School.

The event was sponsored by Douglas County, The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, Network Kansas and Silver Lake Bank.

Felix Kirkland, of Lawrence High School, answers questions from the judges during this year's Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. He received second place and a $1,000 prize.

Abhirup Maity and Grayson Barker, of Billy Mills Middle School, earned third place at the Youth Entreprenership Challenge and a $500 check.

Assistant County Administrator Jill Jolicoeur presents a $250 check to Emily Hulce, of Baldwin High School, who received fourth place at the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge.

Board of County Commissioners

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

• waiving the purchasing policy and authorizing staff to issue a blanket purchase order for 2025 legal services provided by John T. Bullock of Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris LLC in the amount of $400,000.
• adopting a charter resolution to exempt Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health from completing sanitary inspections in schools in Douglas County.
• the 2025 tow service provider agreement.
• a resolution to transfer 2024 Consolidated Fire District No. 1 budgeted and year-end transfer amount to the equipment reserve fund.
• authorization of bond financing to pay for the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center addition and remodeling project and the new Public Safety Building.
• reallocating $46,000 from the Assertive Community Treatment program included in the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center's 2025 budget to provide one-tine funding to support staffing costs for the Homelessness Response Team.

The commission also approved year-end transfers for 2024 and authorization by resolution to close funds and transfer additional funds to reserves on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Dorsey opposed.

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

Work sessions

Commissioners have work sessions to study and discuss various topics throughout the year. No action is taken during work sessions. The following work sessions are scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesdays before the business meetings:

• March 5 – District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Office overview
• March 12 – Self-help Center
• March 26 – Land records overview
• April 2 – General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) discussion
• April 9 - My Resource Connection and Familiar Faces initiative

Public invited to Open House event on March 28

Join us for an Open House to celebrate the newly renovated Commission meeting room inside the historic Courthouse in downtown Lawrence. The event will be 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, March 28, in the historic Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., in downtown Lawrence. It will be held in conjunction with eXplore Lawrence's Final Friday events.

Representatives from Treanor, Douglas County and Watkins Museum of History will be available to talk about the history behind the project, as well as the Courthouse. Lawrence photographer Earl Richardson will be present to discuss his scenic photographs of Douglas County, now displayed as acoustic panels in the room.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available.

Appraiser's Office to host information sessions in March about property valuation process

Douglas County property owners will soon receive their Change of Value notices for the 2025 tax year. These notices will include information about the valuation process, an overall market snapshot of residential and commercial value changes, and the appeal process.

Most residential property owners can expect to see property values increase between 2% and 8% from the prior year, while most commercial property owners will experience increases between 5% and 10%. According to the Appraiser’s Office, these value increases are typically due to year-over-year price increases, supply-demand imbalances, renovations or additions to existing structures, or changes in property use.

Appeal process: Property owners who want to appeal their property value must fill out the request form located on the back of the notice and submit it to the Appraiser’s Office by 5 p.m. Monday, March 31. Submissions can be mailed or dropped off at the office, which is located in the basement of the County Courthouse at 1100 Massachusetts St., or emailed to appeals@dgcoks.gov.

Information sessions: For the first time, the Douglas County Appraiser’s Office is offering information sessions. They will be at the County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., in the Commission meeting room on the second floor. These sessions are free and open to the public:

• Monday, March 24, 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. – A formal presentation about the valuation process, current market trends, property taxes and the appeal process, followed by a question-and-answer session.
• Monday, March 31, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. – A walk-in session where residents can meet with a Douglas County appraiser and ask questions about property values. 

• News release

Katy Fitzgerald, back row, left, is the coordinator for the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC). She is pictured with CJCC members after the February meeting. Pictured are, back row, from left, Fitzgerald, Tim Shoulderblade, Shannon Reid, Judge James McCabria, Chair Jessica Glendening, Dakota Loomis and Pam Weigand; front row, from left, Judge Christopher Kopecky, Doris Ricks, Brad Finkeldei and Vice Chair Susan Benkleman. Not pictured are: Jay Armbrister, Rich Lockhart, Patrick Schmitz and Lori Alvarado.

Criminal Justice Coordinating Council adopts strategic plan with new structure

The Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) unanimously adopted a three-year strategic plan during its meeting on Feb. 11 at the County Courthouse. The plan outlines four priority areas:

• Data – Collect, analyze and share data to identify trends, guide strategic discussions and inform decision-making.
• Pretrial processes – Document current pretrial phase processes and impacts to make recommendations that maximize pretrial outcomes.
• Client services – Analyze gaps between clients’ needs and services available to meet those needs.
• Communications – Develop a coordinated, consistent, and effective communication plan for member agencies, the public and the media.

Developed in partnership with the Justice Management Institute, CJCC’s strategic plan draws from insights gathered through facilitated focus groups, an online community survey and existing criminal justice system data.

The strategic plan culminates approximately 18 months of work to align the CJCC with the National Standards for Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils. In June 2024, council members adopted revised bylaws and a new structure to improve governance, approving a vision and mission statement, guiding principles, and establishing an executive committee. Membership was also reduced from 23 to 15 members to enhance efficiency.

• News release

Community invited to severe weather training on March 13 on KU campus

Douglas County Emergency Management, in partnership with KU Emergency Management and the Topeka National Weather Service, is hosting a severe weather training at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at Capitol Federal Hall, 1654 Naismith Drive, on KU's campus in Room 1111. 

The two-hour workshop will include information about severe thunderstorm development, identification of storm features and safety tips. The free training is open to anyone, and it is being held in conjunction with Severe Weather Preparedness Month.

• News release

Emergency Management offering CERT course

Douglas County Emergency Management is accepting registrations for its Spring 2025 CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training. The course is designed to teach individuals to be better prepared to help themselves, their families and communities before, during and after a disaster. 

The training is free, and the registration deadline is Monday, March 31. The course will take place April 11-April 13 at the Ambler Student Recreation Center on the KU campus.

To register, visit: dgcoks.gov/dgcocert

The training course includes information on disaster preparedness, fire safety, medical operations, light search and rescue, terrorism, and team organization. At the conclusion of the training, individuals may register to become a CERT volunteer. Authorized CERT volunteers provide support to first responders and other agencies during a disaster and at community events as directed by Emergency Management.

Application deadline for user-fee dust control program is March 7

Public Works is accepting applications for the 2025 user-fee dust control program. The application deadine is Friday, March 7.

The program consists of applying liquid calcium chloride or magnesium chloride to rock roads typically in front of houses in an effort to reduce dust created by vehicles. Both products consist of a "brine solution" found naturally in various regions of the United States. The products have been found to control dust by attracting moisture from the atmosphere causing dust to clump together.

The cost to participate is $1.65 per linear foot of roadway treated plus an administrative fee of $60 per location. The expected life of dust reduction by this method is about one year, depending on weather, road conditions and traffic.

The program is available to all residents in Douglas County living adjacent to public roadways. If the road is maintained by a township, cooperation with the township’s board is needed to prepare the road prior to application and to protect it from blading as long as possible after treatment.

Applications are available online and at the Douglas County Public Works Department at 3755 E. 25th St. Pre-payment must be received in the Public Works Department office by 5 p.m. Friday, March 7, to participate in the program.

Douglas County departments will have interactive games as part of County Government Day from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 29, at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. It's a fun event, especially for children with all of the touch-a-truck activities.

Join us for County Government Day on April 29!

We will be hosting our second Douglas County Government Day from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 21st and Harper Streets, in the Open Pavilion. This family-friendly event is free and open to the community.

The event will include touch-a-truck activities with equipment from Public Works, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, Consolidated Fire District No. 1, Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management and Emergency Communications. There will also be games, activities, three food trucks and live music. Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health will be offering blood pressure checks and free home COVID tests.

“We are excited to host a fun event to share our important services with the community,” County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said. “From maintaining roads and providing public safety to supporting human services and conducting elections, we are proud to serve Douglas County.”

Youth enjoyed exploring Douglas County Public Works vehicles during last year's County Government Day event. These machines will be back this year.

Judicial and Law Enforcement Center:

111 East 11th Street

Lawrence, KS 66044