Douglas County commissioners announced last month that the county could dole out $11.7 million in bonds to help finance private projects.

Since then, about a dozen companies have inquired about whether they’re eligible.

To help commissioners decide how to award the low-interest bonds, local economic development officials drafted criteria for companies to meet.

And one component has risen to the top: job creation.

County leaders want to award the economic stimulus bonds to companies that will either expand their operations here or move to Douglas County to create jobs.

“We wanted to make sure these applications are related toward job creation,” said Roger Zalneraitis, Lawrence’s economic development coordinator. “The concern is to make sure stimulus money is applied toward that.”

The recession has raised the local unemployment rate and decreased property values, giving the county authority to allocate $11.7 million in bonds for private development projects.

The county also can award $7.8 million in bonds that can be used to finance public projects, such as extending infrastructure to help attract new businesses to the area.

County officials already approved $2 million of the public bonds to the city to help finance water and sewer improvements to Lawrence Municipal Airport.

The financing tool would lower payments for businesses or governments on a project.

Any business or local government asking the county for the bonds must now fill out an application that city and economic development leaders developed.

The applicants would be required to provide an overview of their project and how many jobs, excluding construction work, the project would create.

They would also have to list the average annual salaries for the new jobs.

Zalneraitis said county and economic development leaders fielded more than a dozen questions — nearly all from private companies — when the county announced the bonds would be available.

The calls tapered off recently, but Zalneraitis was hopeful that now a process has been outlined, county and chamber of commerce officials could use it as an attractive recruiting tool.

The county is also on a deadline to award the bonds because they expire at the end of 2010.