After Douglas County Commission Chair Michelle Derusseau said she did not plan to attend a White House summit, calling it a “publicity stunt,” a member of Republican President Donald Trump’s staff has accused her of partisanship. The three Douglas County commissioners were invited — along with up to 175 other representatives from the region — to a “State Leadership Day” scheduled for July 25, the ...
Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday approved their 2020 budget for publication with a mill levy increase that is slightly smaller than what they discussed the week prior. Interim County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said a change in the zoning department’s budget lowered the required mill levy to fund what commissioners had determined they wanted to include in the 2020 budget. The increase the commission ...
The owner of a property on the northern outskirts of Lawrence wants to build a boat storage and ministorage facility there, but several neighbors have petitioned against the plan. The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission voted 5-5 on the conditional use permit at its June 24 meeting, according to a draft of meeting minutes. The request is now headed to the Douglas County Commission, which will consider ...
President Donald Trump has been inviting county leaders nationwide to summits at the White House. Douglas County Commission Chair Michelle Derusseau said she did not plan to attend the upcoming “publicity stunt.” All three county commissioners were invited — along with other representatives from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma — to a “State Leadership Day,” scheduled for Thursday, July 25. ...
Douglas County District Court Chief Judge Peggy Kittel recently shared with county leaders several concerns about security in the local hub of criminal justice. “I have to say, we are really lucky that we have not had an incident here,” she told Douglas County commissioners during their Wednesday work session on downtown space planning. The Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St., houses ...
Though Douglas County commissioners have not given final approval to a 2020 budget, they did reach a consensus Wednesday on a plan that would raise the mill levy by 0.429 mills. If approved, the budget would raise the mill levy from 46.015 to 46.444. That’s a total of roughly $1,068 in annual property taxes for the owner of a $200,000 home — a $10 increase from last year. Interim County Administrator ...