Douglas County Government's general offices will be closed Friday, July 3, for the holiday.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Dispatch Center and Criminal Justice Services will be operating. If you have an emergency, please call 9-1-1. If you have a non-emergency, call 785-832-7509.

We wish everyone a safe holiday!

Monday afternoon, law enforcement officers with the Lawrence Police Department and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office made six arrests and issued three citations while attempting to clear protesters from Massachusetts Street. The protesters in question had been asked to leave the roadway but declined to follow the officers’ orders in violation of K.S.A. 8-1503. Later that same evening, law enforcement closed the street for continued use by protesters.  

The proposed 2021 Douglas County budget is $125.5 million and has a flat mill levy of 46.430 mills.

Seventy percent of Douglas County’s revenues are from ad valorem taxes and 9% are from sales taxes. Staff has proposed a 10% reduction, or $6 million, in sales tax revenues for the remainder of 2020 and all of 2021 due to economic hardship.

To meet a potential decrease in sales tax revenues beyond the estimated 10%, the county has $6 million available in fund balance.

Chief Judge James McCabria announced today that the Douglas County District Court YouTube channel appears to have been well-received by the public.

As Director of Criminal Justice Services, Pam Weigand oversees the Juvenile Detention Center, Youth Services and Adult Services. These services include: juvenile intake and assessment, day school, truancy prevention and diversion program, community services, juvenile and adult community corrections, behavioral health court, pretrial release and house arrest. She has about 60 staff members and an annual budget of $4.5 million.

Assistant to the County Administrator Jill Jolicoeur said she “fell in love” with local government while pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Kansas. “Local government impacts every aspect of the community. It impacts people’s daily life, but often is the least appreciated and recognized.”

Clint Flory was born and raised in Douglas County and was active in 4-H, like his father and grandfather. That meant he spent a lot of time at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in east Lawrence, where he attended 4-H meetings, competitions and the county fair.

He also met his wife, Josie, at the fairgrounds, and now their children – ages 11, 13 and 14 – are active in 4-H as well. “We’ve all grown up here,” he said.

One of the employees you’re likely to interact with when you visit the Treasurer’s Office on the first floor of the Douglas County Courthouse is Ida Crawford.

With a background in customer service, Crawford said she likes “everything” about her job. She enjoys computers and helping people. “Being able to talk to customers and help meet their needs is always nice,” she said. “My co-workers make it fun, too.”

The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office became aware of an issue that arose with the digital ticket system used by the Kansas Highway Patrol and overseen by the Office of Judicial Administration (OJA). With the closure of the Douglas County District Court this past Spring due to COVID-19, all tickets issued by Kansas Highway Patrol during that time were set on the first available court date in July. The digital ticket system never moved on to the next hearing date.

The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office became aware of an issue that arose with the digital ticket system used by the Kansas Highway Patrol and overseen by the Office of Judicial Administration (OJA). With the closure of the Douglas County District Court this past Spring due to COVID-19, all tickets issued by Kansas Highway Patrol during that time were set on the first available court date in July. The digital ticket system never moved on to the next hearing date.

The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office became aware of an issue that arose with the digital ticket system used by the Kansas Highway Patrol and overseen by the Office of Judicial Administration (OJA). With the closure of the Douglas County District Court this past Spring due to COVID-19, all tickets issued by Kansas Highway Patrol during that time were set on the first available court date in July. The digital ticket system never moved on to the next hearing date.

District Attorney Charles Branson wants to hear from Douglas County residents who believe that employees at the Lawrence Kia dealership inflated or misrepresented their income on their loan applications when purchasing a new or used automobile. As the Lawrence Journal-World recently reported, at least one person has alleged that someone at the dealership overstated her income when submitting her loan application. It is unknown at this time how many customers have been impacted.