The Board of County Commissioners reached an agreement July 20 on an approximately $163.7 million budget for 2023. They agreed on a mill levy of 46.380 mills, which is a decrease of one mill from 2022. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value.

The 2023 budget included growth in property values (assessed valuation) of 12.44%. This higher than traditional rate of growth allowed the Commission to reduce the mill levy by $2.2 million in the general fund. The 2023 budget does not eliminate any current county services.

The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office has taken the position not to aggressively prosecute end users for possession of small quantities of THC products. This is a matter of prosecutorial discretion based upon effective allocation of resources and prevailing community interests.

This office has never ceased to pursue illegal distribution of controlled substances. These operations pose significant and substantial community health and safety risks and frequently result in ancillary criminal conduct.

A dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for the Treatment and Recovery Center (TRC) will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23, followed by an open house until 7 p.m.

The dedication will include brief remarks by Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center CEO Patrick Schmitz, LMH Health President and CEO Russ Johnson, Douglas County Commission Chair Shannon Reid and Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Secretary Laura Howard.

The public is invited to a retirement reception honoring District Court Judge Kay Huff. The reception will be from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7, in the historic County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. in the County Commission meeting room on the second floor.

The Honorable Judge Kay Huff, of the Seventh Judicial District, is retiring July 8. Huff hears felony criminal cases and major civil cases including tort, contract, property and administrative matters.

Douglas County is accepting grant applications for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. Monday, May 2.

Funds can be used for qualifying expenditures that occur between March 3, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2024. Projects should fall within one of these categories:

The Douglas County Public Works Department is seeking your input on a proposed Vegetation Management Plan. The plan is intended to direct operations that include roadside mowing, park maintenance, revegetation practices, herbicide use and noxious weed control. It will go before the County Commission for approval on March 23.

The phone rings.

A dispatcher in the Douglas County Emergency Communications Center answers, “Douglas County 911. Do you have a police, fire or medical emergency?”