The Board of County Commissioners reached a tentative agreement on July 16 on an approximately $201.3 million budget for 2025. They agreed on a mill levy of 41.298 mills, which is a decrease of 2.911 mills from 2024. This is the third consecutive year that the County Commission has reduced the mill levy. Two mills were reduced in 2024 and one mill was reduced in 2023. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 assessed value.

The Board of County Commissioners will begin reviewing the proposed 2025 Douglas County budget during public hearings that will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, July 8, in the Public Works and Zoning and Codes building, 3755 E. 25th St. The proposed budget is $206 million with a mill levy of 44.208 mills, which is a flat rate from last year. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value.

During the budget review process, the County Commission will have the opportunity to lower the tax rate and add services.

Jeremy had his 25th birthday in March. He had a lot to celebrate.

One month earlier, Jeremy had graduated from the Douglas County Behavioral Health Court. The court was established to address the needs of defendants with serious mental illness more effectively, connecting them with community support services. 

Jeremy was charged with second-degree attempted murder after driving a car into Lone Star Lake in February 2021. His mom was a passenger in the car.

Fireworks can be legally discharged in the unincorporated areas of Douglas County if the property owner has given permission and provides supervision. Fireworks are allowed at the following times:

• Monday, July 1 - 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 2 - 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 3 - 7 a.m. to midnight
• Thursday, July 4 - 7 a.m. to midnight

Fireworks should not be discharged on a public street or roadway.

Douglas County and Treanor will host an open house from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 1, about the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center (JLEC) renovation and addition project. The community event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a brief presentation on the second floor of the JLEC, 111 E. Eleventh St., in the Division 4 courtroom. 

The Douglas County District Court Legal Self-Help Office will offer its services at Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., on Tuesdays, starting June 11, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Legal Self-Help Office can assist residents with finding legal forms as well as providing information about court processes and available resources.

Douglas County has become aware of a potential phone scam where the caller claims to be District Court and then says the person needs to pay a fine or they will be arrested because they missed jury duty. Douglas County District Court will never seek payment or have someone arrested for missing jury duty.

If you are a victim of a scam, contact the Kansas Attorney General’s Office – Consumer Protection Division at 785-296-2215 or https://www.ag.ks.gov/in-your-corner-kansas.

As a part of the ongoing effort to increase the safety of open burning in the unincorporated area, Douglas County has increased the options for citizens to log their burns and receive burn ban notifications.

A recently-formed Douglas County Drug Court Alumni Group is about to get a boost thanks to a $2,500 donation from the Social Service League, the oldest nonprofit organization in Douglas County. Meg Davis, vice president of the Social Service League, is scheduled to present a check to the alumni group on June 7 during a Drug Court graduation ceremony. The alumni group will use the funding for recovery activities and community events.

Felix Kirkland, first-place winner of this year’s Douglas County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC), was selected as a finalist in the state competition this spring.

Felix was among 81 students who participated in the Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge in April in Manhattan. They were judged on their business executive summaries and mock boardroom presentations. Thirty-one students received a cash prize, including Felix who received $1,700. The competition is open to students in grades 6-12. 

Common Ground, the community gardening and urban agriculture program, will offer free workshops about composting in June. Composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter such as leaves and food scraps into valuable fertilizer that can enrich the soil for gardening and farming.

The instructor for the workshops will be Stan Ring, former Douglas County Extension Horticulture Program Assistant and a Douglas County Master Gardener. The workshops will be held at four different Common Ground sites:

Penn Street Community Garden got a colorful makeover in May thanks to Kansas City-based artist Jude Croft. The garden is one of the oldest Common Ground sites, established in 2012.