photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Dozens of people gathered at the Douglas County Commission meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025.

Douglas County commissioners were divided on whether or not they want to implement a tenant right to counsel program.

Douglas County staff provided additional information to county commissioners on Wednesday revolving around a potential tenant right to counsel program, which would provide free legal representation to renters who are facing eviction. However, staff were not recommending implementing a program that would mean full representation in all cases.

Staff were looking for direction on whether to develop an “access to representation” pilot program and whether a dollar amount cap should be set aside in the 2027 budget. The reason why staff want to set aside a specific dollar amount is to allow staff to evaluate the volume for future program years, according to a memo in the agenda. Additionally, staff wanted to collect data on the number of cases, the type of cases, case outcomes, hours per case, etc.

After over two hours of public comment, Commissioner Erica Anderson said she would like to see further collaboration between the City of Lawrence on one of these programs, especially since a majority of renters are located in the city.

Commissioner Karen Willey said she was interested in looking into a mediation program, which gives a landlord and a tenant the chance to meet with a third party. The intent of the program is to resolve an issue before it reaches an eviction, but Commissioner Shannon Reid said mediation is not a substitute for legal representation and legal advice.

“It’s frustrating for me because it feels like we’re regressing the conversation after having had a lot of progress in this conversation and trying to overcomplicate it and restrict it is a little confusing to me,” Reid said.

At the time Journal-World was approaching publication, around 10 p.m., county commissioners were still discussing whether or not they want to continue exploring a tenant right to counsel program.

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The County Commission meeting room was full of dozens of people on Wednesday who were either in support or in opposition to a tenant right to counsel program. The idea for the program has been discussed across multiple meetings since August with local advocacy group Lawrence Tenants, who has been urging commissioners to implement one.

Nick Simpson, a member of Lawrence Tenants, said during public comment that the creation of the program would not provide unfair treatment towards one side or the other, but it would rather “balance the scales.”

Additionally, people have submitted written comments to commissioners ahead of the meeting on Wednesday saying that providing attorneys to tenants regardless of their income would not only place a burden on landlords, but also the entire community.

A landlord in Lawrence during public comment said that a majority of evictions are because of financial hardship and not landlord misconduct. He said a tenant right to counsel program would increase costs, reduce the housing supply and create an imbalance between tenants and landlords.

Sam Allison-Natale, executive director of Kansas Holistic Defenders, spoke during public comment and said giving tenants access to attorneys would actually be beneficial to landlords, and it results in better resolutions in the case of eviction.

“We get better resolutions, especially in these situations where it’s a straight up non-payment,” Allison-Natale said. “We negotiate win-win outcomes that is an agreed upon move out for the tenant in exchange for a voluntary dismissal of the eviction.”

In other business, county commissioners:

• Authorized the county administrator to sign an extension for the cooperative agreement with the City of Lawrence for the joint operations and maintenance of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical for 2026. The city and county extended the agreement in September 2024 for one year, and during the 2026 budget deliberations, it was determined that a new agreement “is premature at this time due to funding issues for planned growth and services,” a memo in the agenda said.

• Conducted a public hearing on a proposed rescinding of minimum maintenance on a portion of North 1 Road in Palmyra Township. In 1992, the road segment along the Franklin County line was designated as minimum maintenance by Douglas County because it did not serve any residences. Six years later, a residence was permitted on the Douglas County side despite restrictions on access from minimum maintenance roads.

Franklin County rescinded its minimum maintenance designation for the road, but Douglas County did not. The landowner requested that Douglas County also rescind the designation and return the road to full maintenance, after which Franklin County has agreed to maintain it.

• Signed a memorandum of understanding with Metropolitan Energy Center to partner on energy efficiency and clean energy projects. The Metropolitan Energy Center was awarded $250,000 to explore “financial strategies that attract both private and public investors” for energy-saving projects in the county. Some examples of potential projects include upgrades to community centers, nonprofit buildings and multifamily rental housing.

• Appointed Dr. Atlaf Hossain as coroner for Douglas County starting on Jan. 12 and approved an agreement for coroner services with Forensic Medical Management Services. These services include autopsies, external examinations, death certificate review and certification, cremation permits, death scene investigations, expert witness testimony, and laboratory services.

Hossain has served as the coroner in the county since 2018, and he’s affiliated with the company providing the coroner services, according to a memo in the agenda.

• Awarded a contract to Reece Construction for a culvert replacement project three miles west of US-59 and Route 460 interchange for a total contract value of $589,624 and authorized the Public Works director to approve change orders totaling up to 10% of the contract amount.