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 budget does not eliminate any current county services.

The proposed 2023 Douglas County budget is $166.3 million with a mill levy of 47.419 mills, which is a flat rate from last year. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value.

Fireworks can be legally discharged in the unincorporated areas of Douglas County as long as the property owner has given permission and provides supervision. Fireworks should not be discharged on a public street or roadway. Fireworks are allowed at the following times:

The Douglas County Elections Office completed recounting the votes for the constitutional amendment on Friday afternoon, Aug. 19, and a canvass was held shortly thereafter at 3:30 p.m.

The hand-counted recount results from a total of 47,657 ballots are:

• Yes - 8,718

• No - 38,703

There were 217 under votes, which means no choice was marked on the ballot, and 19 over votes, which means the voter marked in both the yes and no target oval.

The primary results were:

• Yes - 8,716

The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office has taken the position not to aggressively prosecute end users for possession of small quantities of THC products. This is a matter of prosecutorial discretion based upon effective allocation of resources and prevailing community interests.

This office has never ceased to pursue illegal distribution of controlled substances. These operations pose significant and substantial community health and safety risks and frequently result in ancillary criminal conduct.

For 23 years, Jolene Cullen has worked in criminal justice. She has provided service in child abuse investigations, foster care placement, corrections, and house arrest programs. She currently serves as the Adult Services Officer in the Douglas County Behavioral Health Court program.

On May 19, she witnessed Amanda Klopfenstein and Joshua Walters graduate from the program and get their criminal charges dismissed. That’s what she loves most about her job.

A dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for the Treatment and Recovery Center (TRC) will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23, followed by an open house until 7 p.m.

The dedication will include brief remarks by Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center CEO Patrick Schmitz, LMH Health President and CEO Russ Johnson, Douglas County Commission Chair Shannon Reid and Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Secretary Laura Howard.

The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council (HCC) is hosting a preservation conference, “Trails, Tales and Structures: The Stories of Douglas County Heritage,” June 24-25 in Baldwin City. The conference will offer site tours of historic landmarks on the first day and then panel discussions and interactive sessions about heritage and preservation on the second day. The conference is free and open to the public.

The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, regarding the petition for incorporation of the City of Clearfield. The hearing will be held in the County Commission meeting room located in the County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts Street, on the second floor. The meeting also will be available by Zoom. Here's the link: http://dgcoks.org/commissionmeetings. The public hearing is part of the County Commission's regular business meeting.

The Kansas Supreme Court has upheld all maps as passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor. The Douglas County Clerk’s Office has been preparing for implementation of new maps when approved.

The public is invited to a retirement reception honoring District Court Judge Kay Huff. The reception will be from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7, in the historic County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. in the County Commission meeting room on the second floor.

The Honorable Judge Kay Huff, of the Seventh Judicial District, is retiring July 8. Huff hears felony criminal cases and major civil cases including tort, contract, property and administrative matters.

Jim Carpenter’s primary task may sound strange for a member of a prosecutor’s office.

“I was brought in to help to keep people out of jail,” said Carpenter, a new senior assistant district attorney in the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.