The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, District Court and mental health providers are set to begin a local process for evaluating mental competency of defendants and offering outpatient treatment for restoration.

The process is believed to be the first to begin at the county level in Kansas and would help address the statewide backlog that has delayed numerous criminal cases in recent years due to the shortage of bed space at Larned and Osawatomie state hospitals.

On Feb. 14, 2024, the Douglas County Appraiser’s Office mailed letters to owners of properties identified as short-term rentals to notify them that their assessment classification was going to change from residential to commercial, which would likely result in an increase in property taxes. Information gathered for that determination was obtained during the last half of 2023.

The Board of County Commissioners will consider a text amendment to the Zoning and Land Use regulations for the unincorporated areas of Douglas County at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, during the business meeting. The text amendment - TA-22-00031 - is regarding Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) standards.

Felix Kirkland, of Liberty Memorial Central Middle School in Lawrence, received first place in the 2023-2024 Douglas County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on Feb. 16 at the Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center. He received a $1,250 check and qualified for the state competition in April in Manhattan. His business Greener Grass is an all-electrical lawn tool rental service.

Felix competed with 15 students who represented nine businesses. Since Felix won first place, his teacher Devin Heath received a $250 award.

The Board of County Commissioners will consider a request from Kansas Sky Energy Center for a conditional-use permit, or CUP, during a special business meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 13, for a commercial/utility scale solar energy conversion system use, commonly referred to as a solar farm, on 1,105 acres of property north of Lawrence in Grant Township. The meeting will be held at the Public Works/Zoning and Codes Building, 3755 E. 25th St., in the training room. The meeting will also be available by Zoom.

Building on countywide input and Plan 2040, the draft “Douglas County Open Space Plan: Preserving Douglas County’s Future Together,” is now available for the public to review. The plan is a local effort intended to identify voluntary land conservation options and partnerships, and foster appreciation and access to nature for future generations.

Beginning Thursday, Feb. 1, the Office of the Clerk of the District Court will be closed to the public from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays to process all of the work caused by the filing of more than 23,000 documents that have been filed since the Oct. 12, 2023, security incident that disrupted access to information systems used by courts statewide. Reduced public hours are expected to continue through February.

Public Works is accepting applications for the 2024 user-fee dust control program. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, March 8.

The basement of Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St., has sustained damage due to a small fire that occurred about 10:49 p.m. Jan. 23 in the jury deliberation room in the Division 7 courtroom of District Court. The room had experienced water damage from a sprinkler head that was damaged during recent freezing temperatures. The fire was determined by Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical to be accidental due to an electrical/mechanical malfunction of a fan that had been left running in the room to assist with the drying process. There were no injuries.

The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council (HCC) announces funding is available through the Natural & Cultural Heritage Grant program. The Board of County Commissioners has authorized grant funds up to $220,000 for the program. Additionally, $200,000 is available in 2024 for projects that further open space conservation and align with the developing Douglas County Open Space Plan. Award amounts will range from $5,000 to $75,000.

Douglas County staff have been studying space and security needs in the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center (JLEC) for about five years. The building was constructed in 1974 and the last addition was completed 23 years ago in 2000.

The JLEC houses the Seventh Judicial District, District Attorney’s Office, 911 Dispatch Center, Emergency Management, Sheriff’s Office, Information Technology, and Building and Maintenance management staff.

The Commission meeting room on the second floor of the historic County Courthouse in downtown Lawrence will be renovated in 2024. The renovation includes fitting the room to accommodate five commissioners beginning Jan. 1, 2025, and repairing water damage that occurred in October 2022 from a fire sprinkler system flood. The Courthouse was built in 1904, and the goal of the project is to preserve the integrity of the room’s historic features while equipping it with modern technologies.