Next year’s Douglas County budget will include money to help preserve elderly nursing services, a teen pregnancy-prevention program and overall mental health services.

It also will pump $27,194 into helping hire three new firefighter-paramedics, set aside $20,000 for maintaining the Watkins Community Museum of History and contribute $8,500 to help hire a new city-county planner.

The spending plans are among those approved in concept this week by Douglas County commissioners, who spent Tuesday morning putting the finishing touches on their $44 million operating budget for 2003.

While the budget calls for no increase in the county’s property-tax rate, it does include plans for boosting building-permit fees by 28 percent to help defray the costs of inspections.

A formal decision about fees is expected in the coming months, but Commissioners Charles Jones and Bob Johnson said they would support charging $614 for a permit on a $100,000 home beginning Jan. 1. The move would generate an estimated $22,000.

Also added to the budget:

$72,842 for Douglas County Visiting Nurses Assn. to cover an expected loss in Medicaid reimbursements.

$42,333 will go to the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department to preserve a program that helps prevent teen mothers from becoming pregnant again.

$61,710 for Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center to cover losses in state financing.