photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World File Photo

The Douglas County Courthouse at 1100 Massachusetts St., which houses the county government, is shown on Sept. 15, 2018.

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday will consider an agreement with United Way of the Plains that would allow residents to access an online database with a range of community resources, including help for food, housing, clothing, health care and more.

Currently, any resident can dial 211, similar to 911, to reach a 24-hour United Way of the Plains hotline to get connected to resources. The web platform will allow “any member of the public to search and identify community services that are relevant to their needs and available in Douglas County,” Jill Jolicoeur, assistant to the county administrator, wrote in a memo to the commission.

The agreement would expand the county’s public database in My Resource Connection, a Johnson County-based service. A confidential side of the program is intended to allow case managers, probation officers and care providers in partnering agencies to see which services their mutual clients are receiving. The commission approved a three-year, $66,466 agreement to add Douglas County agencies to that program on Feb. 14, 2018.

Johnson County developed My Resource Connection after a 1999 audit found gaps in services, as well as duplications and inefficiencies in service delivery that had one Johnson County resident receiving services from 27 agencies and 17 case managers, the Journal-World has reported.

The platform is online at ims.jocogov.org/rc, and it currently hosts data from several counties in the Kansas City metro.

According to Jolicoeur’s memo, the agreement with United Way of the Plains would cost the county $1,450 annually.

In other business:

• Interim County Administrator Sarah Plinsky will share updates with the commission on health insurance plans for county employees. During a March 20 work session to prepare for budget season, Plinsky told commissioners that the “extremely low deductible” plan may need to change as costs are expected to increase 10-13% next year.

• Sheriff Ken McGovern and Paul Taylor, chaplain with the sheriff’s office, will provide the commission an update on the agency’s first responder assistance coordinator position. A memo to the commission also includes a presentation about a customizable smartphone app that would provide first responders with wellness information and resources.

• Commissioners will attend a 4 p.m. work session on township roads and budget issues.

• On the commission’s consent agenda, or the list of items that are considered routine enough to be considered with one vote, is a contract for $214,403 for pavement markings. According to a memo from Keith Browning, director of public works and county engineer, the contract exceeds the budget allocation of $187,500. He wrote that costs have increased 31% for yellow paint and 30.8% for white paint.

The Douglas County Commission will meet at 4 and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the county courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. Complete agenda materials are available via douglascountyks.org.