photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

Douglas County commissioners this week will consider approving about $350,000 of projected expenses for a newly established program to support veterans in the criminal justice system.

On Wednesday, county commissioners will consider authorizing Douglas County court staff to move ahead with an agreement to use federal grant funds to support the Veterans Treatment Court – which aims to support people in the criminal justice system who have mental health or substance abuse issues related to their military service.

The county is estimating that the district court will incur $348,390 of expenses over the next four years related to the operation of the Veterans Court, with expenses related to defense attorney fees, supplies to staff the court and travel expenses for staff members to travel to various conferences.

A $1 million federal grant that was announced in November is expected to be used to cover the expenses, according to a memo provided to county commissioners. Many other expenses related to the Veterans Court will be the responsibility of the State of Kansas and the Kansas Supreme Court, which will fund many of the employee costs related to the Veterans Court. The State of Kansas also is expected to have access to the $1 million in grant funds, and Wednesday’s action by the county commission will clarify how the two entities will jointly use the grant proceeds.

The new court is anticipated to start this year with Amy Hanley as the presiding judge. The Veterans Treatment Court will implement evidence-based early intervention and intensive treatment programs aimed at fostering positive outcomes for both individuals and the community. Early intervention can lower health care and Medicaid costs, reduce hospitalizations, decrease the need for complex treatments and supervision, lower incarceration rates, and boost participant productivity.

The program will be similar to the county’s existing specialty courts, including Behavioral Health Court and Drug Court. Since its launch in 2017, 78 individuals have graduated from Behavioral Health Court, and 28 have successfully completed the Drug Court program, which started in 2020.

The grant is expected to cover much of the costs associated with the first four years of the Veterans Court operations. How the court program would be funded after the grant expires isn’t clear. Commissioners are told in the memo that no action on the present grant obligates the county to participate in future grant renewals or to provide funding after the present grant period ends.

In other business, county commissioners will:

• Consider an agreement that outlines the roles of Douglas County, the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in a collaborative program to help low-income residents. The program helps residents maintain stable housing through a funding pool to assist with rent, utilities and other financial needs, also known as a “flexible housing pool,” as the Journal-World reported.

In the county’s 2025 budget, it’s set aside about $600,000 generated by its behavioral health sales tax for the program, which it expects will be able to help up to 22 households transition into more stable housing.

• Consider approving a proposal for consulting services from the Government Finance Officers Association to support county efforts for an enterprise resource planning software project in an amount not to exceed $145,000. The project aims to implement software to manage and integrate core government functions like finance, budgeting, procurement and human resource for a system while being efficient and transparent.

GFOA supports local governments by providing a combination of advisory services, training, best practices and project management expertise throughout the entire project lifecycle, from planning to post-implementation and ongoing support. Their role is to ensure the system addresses the needs of the county’s operations and enhances financial management.

• Consider authorizing an agreement between Douglas County and the Department for Children and Families to accept and allocate federal funds reimbursing the county up to $200,000 through 2029 for legal representation in child welfare cases, specifically for children in need of care. These are kids who have been removed from their homes and placed in the custody of the Department for Children and Families.

• Consider a cooperative agreement between the City of Lawrence and Douglas County to appoint Joshua Korosac as the medical director for the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department. He will oversee medical care for all fire departments in Douglas County, not just LDCFM, and will review incident care, manage EMS training, and work to improve system efficiency and services.

The medical director will receive an annual salary of $50,004, paid in monthly installments of $4,167 to Lawrence Emergency Medicine Associates, which will pass the funds on to him, according to a letter to commissioners.

• Consider approving the purchase of a 2025 Ford F550 in the amount of $74,912 with Shawnee Mission Ford, along with a separate contract with American Equipment Co. for installation of a dumping flatbed, hydraulic spreader and snowplow in the amount of $60,962, for a total vehicle cost of $135,874. The truck will replace a 2014 Ford F350 used by the Public Works Department’s bridge maintenance crew.

• Consider awarding a contract to Nutrien Solutions in the amount of $79,364 for supplying herbicides. The herbicides will be supplied to private landowners and for the treatment for weeds on county roadways and properties.

• Consider authorizing the Public Works department to execute a contract with Bettis Asphalt & Construction to supply hot mix asphalt for road maintenance.

• Hear a department overview of four county departments, including the Douglas County Appraiser’s Office, Treasurer’s Office, Clerk’s Office and Register of Deeds. These overviews will be held during a work session with no action to follow. In the first quarter of 2025, county departments are providing an overview of their operations and services to commissioners.

The County Commission’s work session will begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Douglas County Commission meeting room at 1100 Massachusetts St. The business meeting will follow at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.