July 2025 Newsletter

Katie Hoke, owner of Streamline Coffee, recently opened a location in downtown Lawrence at 13 E Eighth St.

Foodpreneur Bootcamp helps local entrepreneurs sharpen skills and scale up

Streamline Coffee owner Katie Hoke participated in a six-week online program called the Douglas County Foodpreneur Bootcamp last fall. The program covered licensing, food and labor cost, menu management, marketing, company culture, guest experience and ownership mindset, among other topics.

While taking the course, she was in the process of closing her small coffee shop location at LMH Health West and expanding to a larger space in downtown Lawrence at 13 E Eighth St. She also was maintaining her original business — a mobile coffee shop operating from an Airstream trailer — at the northwest corner of Bob Billings Parkway and Wakarusa Drive.

Hoke said the bootcamp helped reinforce what she was already doing well while also introducing her to new ideas.

“There was a big takeaway with each module,” she said. “It was a comprehensive course that went over menu creation, hours, seasonal hours and menus, and advice on what to do when business is slow and busy. It was a lot of work and a lot of great information.”

Hoke was one of six small business owners who completed the program, which was spearheaded by the Douglas County Food Policy Council.

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Douglas County IT Network Administrator Darrin Harrison flies his hot air balloon named Retro. He received his private pilot certificate in July 2013 from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Up, Up & Away: Douglas County IT employee Darrin Harrison flies hot air balloons for fun

As a hot air balloon pilot, Douglas County IT Network Administrator Darrin Harrison gets to explore the countryside from a unique perspective.

“Geese fly around us. In the fall when the Monarch butterflies are migrating through, depending on where you’re at, you might find yourself in a cloud of butterflies,” he said. “People will come out when they hear the balloon burners, so you can talk to people 400 feet below you.”

His fascination with hot air balloons began in 1998 at the Huff ‘n Puff Hot Air Balloon Rally in Topeka. He attended with his wife, Michele, and his parents, who live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, home of an international balloon festival. Through his parents’ connection to one of the pilots, Darrin was able to get a closer look at ballooning. The following year, he and his wife returned and took their first ride.

“We thought it would be a bucket list item. Once and done,” he said. “Then, we decided we need to do it more than once a year.”

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Board of County Commissioners

Douglas County Commission meetings are at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays in the historic Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., on the second floor in the Commission meeting room. Meetings are also available on Zoom.

Commissioners took the following action on regular business agenda items in July. They unanimously approved:

a grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $149,520 for a term of 12 months to continue to provide supportive housing for 12 chronically homeless individuals.
vacating and rezoning Lot 5, Block 1, in the Twin Ridge Heights West Subdivision, southeast of Lecompton. It was rezoned from clustered preservation to agricultural.
participating in a 15-year, 95% Neighborhood Revitalization Area (NRA) for the 9 Del Lots II affordable housing project located at 716 E Ninth St. and authorized the County Administrator to execute an agreement with the City of Lawrence, Douglas County and Lawrence Public Schools for the administration of duties related to the NRA.
setting the maximum mill levy, or property tax rate, at 40.669 for the 2026 county budget, which is lower than the 41.298 proposed budget.
setting the maximum mill levy at 6.0 mills for Consolidated Fire District No. 1 for the 2026 budget. The current mill levy is 5.5.
a site plan for improvements to the Twin Oaks Golf Facility at 1326 E. 1900 Road, east of Lawrence.

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 at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays before the business meeting:

Aug. 20 - Overview of eviction law and current efforts at Diversion.
Sept. 3 - Tenant Right to Counsel.

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

Commission meeting information and agendas

Douglas County Commissioners meet with representatives of agencies that provide mental health and behavioral health services on July 7 in the courthouse. Commissioners held more than 20 hours of meetings and deliberations during its review of the 2026 proposed budget.

Commissioners reach agreement on 2026 budget with decrease of 0.629 mills

Commissioners reached a tentative agreement July 16 on an approximately $202.6 million budget for 2026. Commissioners agreed on a mill levy of 40.669 mills, a decrease of 0.629 mills from last year.

For the fourth consecutive year, the County Commission has lowered the mill levy. In 2024, the Commission approved a reduction of 2.9 mills for the 2025 budget, building on previous reductions of 2.0 mills in 2023 and 1.2 mills in 2022. These reductions total 6.7 mills over four years. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 assessed value.

The 2026 budget includes a 5.7% increase in assessed property valuation, compared to 6.89% the previous year.

Commissioners reviewed more than 60 funding requests totaling $12.9 million from county departments and community agencies.

Community projects that received funding include:

$500,000 for Tenants to Homeowners to build five small houses in partnership with Peaslee Tech and the University of Kansas’ Dirt Works Studio and $247,000 for Cardinal Housing Network for capital improvements at 1126 Ohio, where it will provide supportive housing for women in recovery. Both projects expand supportive housing, an area of focus in the community’s strategic plan to end chronic homelessness, A Place for Everyo ne.
Two initiatives championed by the anti-poverty plank of the Community Health Improvement Plan, which are $100,000 for community childcare scholarships and $62,500 for youth pre-apprenticeships with Peaslee Tech.
$321,032 to offset a cut in federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant funds for 12 permanent supportive housing units for chronically homeless individuals.
$108,000 to increase compensation for Children in Need of Care (CINC) panel attorneys.

Commissioners continue to support the expansion of operations at Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical for a new Station 6 as well as an ambulance replacement. The 2026 allocation includes $1.5 million in expanded funding to support the addition of a fully staffed ambulance for Station 6.

The 2026 budget will be adopted during a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 27 during the Commission's business meeting at the courthouse.

Full news release

The Douglas County Elections Office is located at 711 W. 23rd St., on the southwest corner of 23rd and Louisiana streets in Lawrence.

Vote! Primary election is Aug. 5

The primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 5, for the Lawrence City Commission. The top four vote-getters will move on to the general election in November. Registered voters can cast advance ballots at the Elections Office, 711 W. 23rd St., at the following times:

Thursday, July 31 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 1 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 2 – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 4 – 8 a.m. to noon. (closes by law at noon)

On Aug. 5, the polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. All advance ballots by mail must be postmarked by Election Day and received by Friday, Aug. 8.

dgcoks.gov/elections

Archaeologists launch countywide survey to uncover Douglas County's past

A team of archaeologists from Augustana University and the University of Kansas has launched a yearlong survey aimed at uncovering Douglas County’s historic past.

The project, which began in June, is focused on identifying and documenting archaeological sites across the county. Researchers will analyze existing artifacts and conduct field surveys to better understand the area’s history.

Leading the effort are Austin Buhta of Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Rolfe Mandel of the University of Kansas. The researchers are encouraging local participation from Douglas County residents and property owners who may have artifacts or historically significant land.

“Community involvement is vital,” Buhta said. “Whether you’ve found artifacts or have land with historic potential, we’d love to work with you."

For more information, visit: https://www.dgcoks.gov/news/070325

Consolidated Fire District No. 1 received a 2025 Preparedness Partner Award from the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) on July 2. Pictured, from left, are Deputy Chief Dennis Snodgrass, Administrative Assistant Kirsten Rhoads and Chief John Mathis, all of Consolidated Fire District No. 1, and Emergency Management Director Robert Bieniecki.

LEPC honors firefighters, emergency leaders for outstanding preparedness

The Douglas County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) recognized Douglas County Consolidated Fire District No. 1 and local firefighter and paramedic Tiffany Saturday with 2025 Preparedness Partner Awards during its July meeting. The awards highlight exceptional service and leadership in emergency preparedness over the past year.

The LEPC, composed of about 50 representatives from local agencies and businesses involved in emergency response, also functions as the board for Douglas County Emergency Management.

Fire Chief John Mathis, Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Snodgrass and Administrative Assistant Kirsten Rhoads, of Consolidated Fire District No. 1, were recognized for their outstanding leadership and dedication to wildfire preparedness and operational coordination.

During the past year, Consolidated Fire staff have taken a proactive and collaborative approach to grass fire management by working across departments and jurisdictions to identify needs, streamline mutual aid and enhance coordination. They have not only participated in, but they have also led multi-agency training and preparedness exercises.

Saturday, who recently retired from Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical after 20 years of service, was recognized for her coordination and compassion during a fire at Brandon Woods Retirement Community in August 2024, when 85 residents were evacuated from the building to the lobby area of Bella Sera Condominiums across the street.

Emergency Management Director Robert Bieniecki said Saturday was instrumental in the rapid response and management of residents at Bella Sera.

“Tiffany immediately set up a coordinated system to ensure residents were accounted for. Tiffany’s plan considered the residents’ level of needs such as memory care, physical restrictions and medication. Within hours, a coordinated response was underway to provide not just shelter, but dignity and care,” he said.

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Tiffany Saturday, holding her 2025 Preparedness Partner Award, was recognized July 2 by the Local Emergency Planning Committee for her service during an August fire at Brandon Woods Retirement Community. Saturday recently retired from Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical after 20 years of service. She is pictured with LDCFM staff and her parents.

Undersheriff Stacy Simmons welcomes families to the first Junior Deputy Academy graduation ceremony.

21 youth graduate from first Junior Deputy Academy

The Sheriff’s Office successfully completed its first Junior Deputy Academy in July, as 21 junior deputies ages 8-10 from Lawrence, Baldwin City and Eudora took part in the weeklong camp at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

During the week, the junior deputies learned about teamwork and many aspects of the Sheriff’s Office, such as investigations, patrol, physical training and safety. They also learned from many partner agencies, including Emergency Communications, Consolidated Fire District No. 1, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, the Baldwin City Police Department and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Douglas County.

The Douglas County Community Foundation supported the academy with grant funding.

Sheriff's Office staff pose with the first graduating class of junior deputies.

Morgan Haney, Advocacy and Outreach Specialist for the Sheriff's Office, is pictured with members of the Piece Time Quilters.

Quilters partner with Sheriff's Office to help comfort kids in need of care

The Piece Time Quilters in Olathe donated 27 hand-stitched, child-size quilts to the Sheriff's Office for the second year in a row.

These quilts are intended to be given freely to any children connected to a child-in-need-of-care case. The group in July presented the quilts to Morgan Haney, DGSO's Advocacy and Outreach Specialist, and Lt. Johnathan Jurgensmeier.

"It is our hope these quilts give comfort and warmth to children who are scared and unsure of their future," said Marilyn Rapplean of Piece Time Quilters. "We hope as the child wraps themselves in the quilt that was made and given with love that the child knows someone cares."

Reentry staff featured on latest podcast

In the latest episode of the View from 100 podcast, Sheriff Jay Armbrister interviewed Reentry Case Manager Shelby Osborn and Reentry Director Carrie Neis who talked about the program’s successes in helping individuals in custody become successful as they leave jail and get back into the community.

View from 100 podcast

Don't miss the Douglas County Fair! Now-Saturday!

The Douglas County Fair is underway at the fairgrounds, which are located southeast of 19th and Harper streets in Lawrence. The fair features live music, carnival rides, educational exhibits and competitive events. Among the highlights:

Today, July 31