Douglas County has been allocated $23.7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. These funds can be used for qualifying expenditures that occur between March 3, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2024.

The Board of County Commissioners is seeking project or program information from agencies interested in receiving funding through a letter of interest form. The form does not guarantee funding, but will help Commissioners further establish program parameters, guidelines and spending priorities. The deadline to complete the form is 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31, 2022.

Douglas County Unified Command leaders and public health officers strongly encourage COVID-19 vaccination, testing and wearing masks in crowded places as the holidays near and cases and hospitalizations increase in Douglas County. While the local public health order that requires masks for children will expire Dec. 22, health officers say it is not time for residents to let their guard down.

Douglas County Commissioners approved changes to the Douglas County Animal Control Code on Dec. 1, 2021, during their business meeting. The Lawrence Humane Society proposed the changes to update the code with more clear, consistent and enforceable language. The nonprofit agency said the updated code provides more clear and humane procedures regarding animals in the unincorporated areas of the county.

The Douglas County Public Works Department is proposing to make changes to posted route numbers on several county roads.  The changes will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners for review, discussion and approval at their Dec. 8 business meeting.  The proposed changes do not affect mailing addresses or emergency operations. Route numbers — such as 442, 458, 1029 and 1055 — are primarily used by Public Works to define maintenance operations and snow removal. 

The Douglas County Treasurer’s Office mailed real estate and personal property tax statements to Douglas County taxpayers on Wednesday, Nov. 24.

The first-half real estate and personal property taxes are due on or before Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, and the second-half taxes are due on or before Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

Douglas County GIS web sites will be unavailable Friday, Dec. 17, while GIS web software is being upgraded. Popular items including “Property Viewer” and Map Gallery web applications such as “Survey Lookup,” “Cemeteries,” “Floodplain Lookup,” and others will not be available during the upgrade. 

The upgrade will not affect how users interact with the web resources after the upgrade but will allow for better security and enhancements to be introduced during the next year.

The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office is working with local nonprofit Building Peace Inc. to establish a Restorative Justice program.

In restorative justice programs, a trained facilitator convenes the offender with a victim or victims to talk about the act and how it affected the victim and the community. Through this process, the offender is held accountable for their actions and makes amends and the victims can begin healing.

“The community benefits, the victim benefits and the offender benefits,” Valdez said. “It’s a win-win-win.”

Robert Bieniecki has spent nearly 40 years protecting citizens through his work in the military, law enforcement and emergency management. He has flown planes during the Persian Gulf War, maintained aircraft for the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and retired as a captain at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. Now, he is serving as director of Douglas County Emergency Management during a global pandemic.

Yet, he remains humble. “I like helping people. I think I’ve always been a helper and wanted to provide community service,” he said.

Douglas County Government’s offices will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 25 and 26, for the Thanksgiving holiday. There also is no County Commission meeting Wednesday, Nov. 24. 

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Dispatch Center and Criminal Justice Services will be operating. If you have an emergency, please call 911. If you have a non-emergency, call 785-843–0250.

We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.

Douglas County District Court Judge Amy Hanley helped deliver a keynote lecture via Zoom to judges, attorneys and other legal officials in Argentina who are working to expand the use of jury trials.

Douglas County Government’s general and satellite offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day. Thank you to our veterans and all who have served, past and present.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Dispatch Center and Criminal Justice Services will be operating. If you have an emergency, please call 911. If you have a non-emergency, call 785-843–0250.

Douglas County, in partnership with the United Way of Douglas County, would like to know what resources county residents would find most beneficial to their success. We are seeking input through a community survey at: http://dgcoks.org/resourcessurvey. The survey will be available through Dec. 17. The information will be used to better understand what barriers residents are facing and what resources are needed in Baldwin City, Eudora, Lawrence, Lecompton and rural areas of Douglas County.