Douglas County is seeking residents’ input about how open spaces could be preserved and used in ways that benefit the community into the future. Their input will be used to help establish a Douglas County Open Space Plan. The plan will be a broad policy guide toward prioritizing a range of ecosystems and land uses such as prairie, floodplain, agriculture, historic sites, trails and more.

The community can provide information by:

The Douglas County Clerk’s Office will be sending 45,990 notices to property owners on Friday, Aug. 11. It is not a bill.

The notification is for information purposes only. It includes estimated property taxes for 2023 and a list of public hearings that affect the owner’s taxes. A list of all public hearings can be found on the Douglas County website.

The Douglas County Elections Office has posted the unofficial results for the primary election. The canvass will be at 9 a.m. Aug. 14 at the Elections Office, 711 W. 23rd St. Suite 1.

For results: http://dgcoks.org/primaryresults2023

Today, Douglas County released a digital report, “Rising to the Challenge: New Directions for Behavioral Health in Douglas County,” that outlines programs and services that have been implemented during the past five years. These services include a mobile crisis team, a Treatment and Recovery campus and an array of post-crisis community support services.

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that Isaiah J. Duckworth, 36, of Lawrence, was sentenced to 79 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for the aggravated sexual battery of a teen.

Judge Sally D. Pokorny sentenced Duckworth to 47 months on the first count, and 32 months on the second count. Judge Pokorny ordered the sentences to run consecutively.

Duckworth was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual battery on June 6, 2023, when he pleaded no contest at the beginning of his jury trial. 

The Board of County Commissioners reached a tentative agreement on July 12 on an approximately $190.7 million budget for 2024. They agreed on a mill levy of 44.219 mills, which is a decrease of two mills from 2023. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value.

The 2024 budget included growth in property values (assessed valuation) of 10.98%.  This higher than traditional rate of growth allowed the Commission to reduce the mill levy by $3.8 million in the general fund.  The 2024 budget does not eliminate any current county services. 

In the general fund — the largest and most general purpose of the County’s budgeted funds — approximately 77% of Douglas County’s revenues are from ad valorem taxes and 10% are from sales taxes. Total assessed valuation for real estate and personal property increased 10.98% in 2022 compared to 12.44% the year before. During the past two years, the assessed valuation growth rate has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic stimulus, leading to fluctuation in the normal rate of growth seen in Douglas County.

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:

Douglas County Appraiser Steven Miles is retiring June 23, 2023. Miles began working in the Appraiser’s Office in 1991 and was appointed County Appraiser by the Board of County Commissioners in 2009. The public is welcome to attend a retirement reception for Miles from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 23, at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., in the County Commission meeting room.

At upcoming meetings of the Lawrence City Commission and Douglas County Commission, the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, and other members of the Housing and Homelessness stakeholder group will be sharing an update on the Housing and Homelessness Strategic Plan, which is called A Place for Everyone: A Community Plan to End Homelessness. 

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that Isaiah J. Duckworth, 36, of Lawrence, was sentenced to 79 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for the aggravated sexual battery of a teen.

Judge Sally D. Pokorny sentenced Duckworth to 47 months on the first count, and 32 months on the second count. Judge Pokorny ordered the sentences to run consecutively.

Duckworth was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual battery on June 6, 2023, when he pleaded no contest at the beginning of his jury trial. 

Kansas Senate Bill 180 goes into effect on July 1, 2023. This statewide law bars transgender people from using restrooms, locker rooms and other public facilities that have been earmarked for cisgender use. Until this bill was passed, trans people were free to utilize these services according to their gender identity.