County commissioners on Wednesday selected a consulting firm to conduct a third-party review of Douglas County’s building codes department.

Commissioners unanimously choose Austin Peters Group Inc., whose staff would complete the review from their location in Fort Collins, Colo. The firm estimated the review would take 16 weeks and cost the county an approximate $9,180 plus mileage.

Austin Peters Group also has an office in Overland Park and has completed work in Kansas before, which is something Commissioner Mike Gaughan said influenced his decision.

“They have an appreciation for the statutory environment here that gives me a little more comfort,” he said.

This summer, commissioners directed Assistant County Administrator Sarah Plinsky to look into a review of the department, in part because of a controversy over whether Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach was given too many exemptions from the county’s building codes with a project in rural Douglas County.

Plinsky said she reached out to five firms for the work. One replied with a ‘no thank you,’ while Austin Peters and Novak Consulting Group Inc., of Cincinnati, replied with interest.

Novak Consulting told the county the review could be completed in eight weeks at a cost of $17,500.

Commission Chair Jim Flory said he appreciated Austin Peters’ lower price tag, so long as the county placed a cap on the travel expenses, which he said “could quickly add up.”

Now that commissioners have selected a firm, county staff will work with Austin Peters to further define the scope of its review and the timeline. The work is meant to examine the responsiveness, fairness and professionalism and best practices of the department.

Although the review will not focus solely on the Kobach case, that case will be addressed over the course of investigating the review’s three main areas of focus, Commissioner Nancy Thellman said in September.

The findings of the review will then be presented to county commissioners, Plinsky said.

Commissioners on Wednesday also unanimously approved proposed changes to Horizon 2020, the long-term and comprehensive plan for future development in the area.

In August, the plan’s Horizon 2020 Steering Committee identified 19 areas of focus to be studied and changed, said Lawrence City Planner Jeff Crick. The areas include retail development, transportation, housing and more. The Lawrence City Commission unanimously approved the changes on Tuesday.

Now that both the county and city commissions have adopted the changes, city planning staff will apply them to the long-term plan. That plan should be updated by next fall, Crick said.

Also on Wednesday’s agenda:

• Commissioners unanimously agreed to extend contract work with two Kansas University employees whose contract services on the county’s potential mental health crisis center and jail expansion projects have expired.
• Commissioners unanimously agreed to allow the county administrator to seek out a design professional to work with the county on the potential mental health crisis center and jail expansion project. The professional will then be asked to “go far enough in the design process that we could come up with a price tag and work out the issues with the size of the facility and how much it would likely cost and how much it would cost to operate,” said County Administrator Craig Weinaug. Hiring a design professional would not commit the county to any construction work, he added. Instead it is meant to give commissioners a better idea of what the potential project might look like.

County commissioners meet at 4 p.m. each Wednesday at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. Their meetings are open to the public, and a full agenda can be found online at douglascountyks.org.