Douglas County plans to exceed the revenue neutral rate for 2026, with a maximum property tax rate anticipated to be set on Wednesday. The revenue neutral rate is the property tax rate – or mill levy – required to raise the same amount of property tax revenue as the prior year, using the current year assessed valuation amount. According to a memo to county commissioners, that rate would be 38.958 mills. One ...
Douglas County commissioners are potentially planning to reserve $1 million for mental health crisis care in 2026, while delaying some funding decisions for Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center amid financial concerns. During budget deliberations on Tuesday, county commissioners wanted to address the rising costs for services at the Treatment & Recovery Center, but were hesitant to fund several ...
Former school board president Kelly Jones criticized the Trump administration’s freeze on nearly $7 billion in federal education funding, warning it will severely impact support for vulnerable students and already under-resourced public schools. On Monday, Jones shared her frustrations after the Trump administration chose to withhold nearly $7 billion in education funding for students learning English, ...
Douglas County commissioners plan to potentially cut at least one-third of their funding to a University of Kansas center for startup companies, arguing that some businesses have stayed many years and aren’t paying taxes. At deliberations for the 2026 budget on Monday, county commissioners expressed a desire in cutting funding to KU's Innovation Park, which houses laboratories and office space for startups, ...
Updated at 9:02 a.m. Monday, July 14 Lawrence school board members will consider funding to support an interior remodel at Woodlawn Elementary School. On Monday, school board members will consider accepting a bid with B.A. Green Construction Co. Inc. to perform remodeling work at Woodlawn – including constructing a restroom and an additional exit for the preschool classroom. The project will come out to a ...
County commissioners convened for a final meeting on Friday ahead of next week’s budget deliberations. The discussions began with budget lines included in the 2026 proposed budget for market adjustments to align salaries more closely with competing agencies and pay increases for the county’s employees. Commissioner Gene Dorsey voiced concern about the magnitude of the proposed increases, where $1.4 million ...