July 2024 Newsletter

Don't miss this week's Douglas County Free Fair

The Douglas County Free Fair is in full swing at the fairgrounds, southeast of 19th and Harper streets. From live music and carnival rides to educational exhibits and competitive events — there’s something for everyone. The last day of the fair is Saturday, Aug. 3.

Check out the full schedule: https://dgcountyfair.com

Special thanks to Douglas County Fair Board members who spend countless hours planning the annual community event. We also want to recognize Fairgrounds Coordinator Clint Flory who takes care of the fairgrounds year-round. He has worked for Douglas County since 2017.

Douglas County Commissioners, at left, discuss the proposed county budget for 2025 with staff in county administration during a meeting on July 16 in the Public Works/Zoning and Codes building.

Commissioner reach agreement on 2025 budget with decrease of 2.9 mills, no cut in county services

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 2025 budget included growth in property values (assessed valuation) of 6.89% compared to 10.98% the year before. The rate of property value growth in addition to reducing the Employee Benefits Fund by $4 million and moving $767,000 in behavioral health items to the mental health sales tax fund, allowed commissioners to reduce the mill levy by $5.9 million in the general fund. The general fund is the largest and most general purpose of the county’s budgeted funds.

The 2025 budget does not eliminate any current county services.

For more information about the budget and new or expanded funding that was included, visit the news release.

Open Budget Website

About your Board of County Commissioners

Chair Karen Willey

Vice Chair Shannon Reid

Patrick Kelly

Douglas County Commission meetings are at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Public Works/Zoning and Codes building, 3755 E. 25^th St., in the training room. Meetings are also available on Zoom. Commission meetings are taking place in the Public Works/Zoning and Codes building due to renovation of the Commission meeting room in the historic Courthouse.

They will meet at 5:30 p.m. today, July 31. The agenda includes:

a one-time funding request of $105,000 for a Diversify Douglas County minority-owned business loan program.
a special event permit for an outdoor concert on Sept. 7, 2024, at The Burning Barrel, 292 N. 2100 Road, about three miles west of Lecompton.
an amended funding agreement with Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health that reflects an additional $57,833 in funding for 2024.

** Recordings of the meetings can be found on the Douglas County YouTube channel.

Work sessions

County Commissioners also have work sessions to study and discuss various topics throughout the year. No action is taken during work sessions. The following work sessions are scheduled for 4 p.m. in August:

Aug. 7 – Capital Improvement Plan for facilities, road and bridge projects and the 2025 operating budget for Consolidated Fire District No. 1.
Aug. 14 – Judicial and Law Enforcement Center addition and expansion project.

Commission meeting information and agendas

The Douglas County Elections Office is located at 711 W. 23rd St., Suite 1. It's in the shopping center at the southwest corner of 23rd and Louisiana streets.

Where to vote for Aug. 6 primary election

The primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 6. Polling locations will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The ballot will include nominations for federal, state and local positions.

Registered voters can cast their ballot early at the Douglas County Elections Office, 711 W. 23rd St., Suite 1, at the following times:

Wednesday, July 31-Friday, Aug. 2 – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 3 – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 5 – 8 a.m. to noon (State law requires advance voting to end at noon.)

Advance voting will also be available on Saturday, Aug. 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following locations:

Lecompton Community Building, 333 Elmore St.
Eudora City Hall, 4 East Seventh St.
Baldwin City Library, 800 Seventh St.

All advance ballots by mail must be postmarked by Election Day and received by Friday, Aug. 9. Mail-in ballots can also be placed in a secure drop box by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Those are located at the County Courthouse, Elections Office, Baldwin City Hall, Treasurer’s South Lawrence Satellite Office, Eudora City Hall and Lecompton City Hall.

dgcoks.gov/elections

Road construction set to begin August 5 on County Route 1 near Lone Star Lake

A mill-and-overlay project is scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 5, weather permitting, on County Route 1 from the town of Lone Star to the dam at Lone Star Lake. The project will consist of milling, asphalt patch work and a 2-inch asphalt overlay.

Once milling is finished on County Route 1 – estimated to be about one week – milling will begin on County Route 1029 from N600 to N750 Road. This roadway will also undergo milling, asphalt patch work and a 2-inch asphalt overlay.

The road construction on County Route 1 and County Route 1029 will occur nearly simultaneously and is expected to be finished by mid-September.

The work will be completed under temporary traffic control, with flaggers and a pilot car. For safety, we kindly ask bicyclists to consider alternative routes during this period. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to improve county roadways.

The project is being completed through a contract with Killough Construction, of Ottawa. Douglas County Public Works is managing the project.

Sheriff's Office Deputies, from left, Leo Souders, Randy Cheek and Lyle Hagenbuch delivered a special gift to Elijah to celebrate his sixth birthday.

Sheriff's Office makes special birthday delivery

Sheriff’s Office personnel on July 13 delivered a special gift to a 6-year-old boy who has become a good friend of deputies and DGSO employees.

Court Security Deputies Randy Cheek and Lyle Hagenbuch, both retired lieutenants, presented Elijah with a toy patrol vehicle with DGSO insignia. Sheriff’s Office employees had pooled donations to buy the car for Elijah. He has been a frequent visitor to court proceedings over the past year, and several deputies, especially Cheek and Hagenbuch, have shown great kindness to welcome him and help him to feel more comfortable while he is in the building.

“These interactions were not for recognition but because it was the right thing to do. Now when he comes to the building, he’s so excited to see the deputies and spend time with them,” Sheriff Jay Armbrister said. “DGSO’s support for Elijah represents the special culture of this agency and how so many people are enthusiastic about helping people in this community.”

County appraisers collect data during summer

County appraisers are out and about this time of year as the Appraiser’s Office is in its data collection phase, typically June-September. Staff are visiting properties in Douglas County to confirm sales, permits and inspections of homes and buildings.

The Appraiser’s Office is required to perform an onsite or digital review of real property at least once every six years. The department verifies sale transactions and visits the property to confirm physical characteristics.

Staff appraisers are also required to visit a property when a building permit is filed and when parcel boundaries change. The property record is also thoroughly reviewed with the owner when the value is appealed.

All personal property accounts are reviewed annually. This time of year, personal property employees are busy identifying new personal property that needs to be listed on the appraisal roll as well as updating ownership and records to ensure the county has accurate information.

The office has 14 full-time staff who oversee roughly 41,400 real property parcels and 6,900 personal property accounts, totaling about 48,300 assets annually valued. Each appraiser is responsible for examining between 2,500 and 5,000 properties per year.

The County Appraiser's July newsletter

County Appraiser website

Douglas County District Court employee Kelsey Bremer's photo exhibit is on display in the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center through August. Bremer started a self-healing journey in 2021 in Los Angeles. She drove up the coast on Highway 1 to San Francisco. During that trip, she captured this sunset.

After losing her father, District Court employee buys camera, begins traveling solo

A photo exhibit by Kelsey Bremer, administrative assistant in District Court’s Division 6, will be on display in the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center until the end of August.

The exhibit is in honor of her father, DJ, who died by suicide on Dec. 22, 2020. Bremer said she tries to capture his free spirit in her photos. “He was one-of-a-kind, unique in a certain way,” she said. “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him.”

A year after his death, she bought a camera and took a solo trip to Washington state. “Little did I know that my camera would pave a path I never knew I needed,” she said. “With each picture I take, I attempt to create still moments of beauty. As time progresses, I’ve learned it doesn’t get easier, you just learn to live with it.”

Since her father’s death, Bremer has taken photos in New York, California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Canada, Ireland and Scotland, and, of course, her home state of Kansas. She’s seen redwoods, the Golden Gate Bridge, wild elephant seals, sunsets, sunrises, castles, battlefield sites, beaches, the Cliffs of Moher, Edinburgh Castle, Niagara Falls, mountains, forests and the ocean. She had done much of her traveling alone.

“There is something freeing about learning to enjoy your own company,” she said.

Bremer said the exhibit is a reminder to those who visit that “you matter, and the world needs you.”

Her photos are displayed in various areas throughout the building, including the lobby, Self-Help Office, Clerk’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, and court offices.