photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

The Douglas County Courthouse is pictured Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022.

Douglas County commissioners at this week’s meeting will hear an update from the county’s Heritage Conservation Council about its plans for the coming year.

During a work session Wednesday afternoon, the commission will hear from HCC chair Jenny Trucano Muller and vice chair Nick Pumphrey. Their update will, in part, cover the adoption of a strategic plan and consideration of expanding the Heritage Conservation Council, according to the meeting agenda.

The presentation will also include updates about the search for a new heritage coordinator and the council’s engagement in the county’s development of an Open Space Plan, two more recent focus areas for the HCC. The council’s previous heritage coordinator, Kaitlin Stanley, resigned at the end of 2022 to take the executive director position at the nonprofit Kansas Land Trust. Trucano Muller told the Journal-World near the end of January that the council anticipated the new coordinator would start in March, but the interview process has pushed back the start of its annual Natural and Cultural Grant program since that individual is responsible for overseeing the grants.

As for the Open Space Plan, the County Commission heard from a team of county staff and consultants working to develop the plan just a couple of weeks ago.

In other business, the commission will:

• Consider approving the county’s 2023 Tow Service Provider Agreement.

The county authorizes annual agreements with area tow contractors to participate in a rotation list used by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office’s dispatch staff. Tow operators have asked for an increase to maximum charges for tow services for the first time since 2016. County staff notes in the agenda that the request was to reflect the costs of operating their towing businesses.

• Meet in executive session to “consult with the county counselor regarding matters that would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, in order to protect the attorney-client privilege.”

Wednesday’s work session will begin at 4 p.m., followed by the business meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. The meeting will also be available by Zoom. For meeting information, visit the county’s website: dgcoks.org/commissionmeetings.