photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County commissioners met on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday advanced a project to help low-income residents maintain stable housing by creating a funding pool for rent, utilities and other financial needs.

The commissioners unanimously approved an agreement between Douglas County, the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, outlining what each organization’s role will be in the program that is known as a “flexible housing pool.” The proposed agreement was previously set to be considered at the March 12 meeting, but it was deferred to be considered at a later date, as the Journal-World reported.

For its 2025 budget, the county set aside approximately $600,000 from its behavioral health sales tax to support the program, which is anticipated to assist up to 22 households in transitioning to more stable housing.

“The flexible housing pool would be the quickest way that we can serve our priority population, which is our chronically homeless population,” Assistant County Administrator Jill Jolicoeur said.

As outlined in the agreement, the county is responsible for providing funds to the program. The money will not only provide financial assistance to tenants, but some of it will be used to fund project overhead along with case management and other supportive services for the tenants, with these services being provided by Bert Nash. The nonprofit will evaluate each participant in the program and create a “housing self-sufficiency plan” for them. That could include referring them to mental health services or employment assistance; helping them apply for other benefits; and anything else that might help them maintain their housing.

Meanwhile, LDCHA will administer the financial assistance with over $316,000 to use for rental assistance, $105,000 for utility assistance, and about $41,000 in “flexible” funding to help people pay for things like security deposits and other fees.

Prior to being elected to the County Commission, Commissioner Gene Dorsey had told commissioners during public comments at a past meeting that he had concerns about the use of these funds from the behavioral health sales tax. On Wednesday, he asked about how many people who may be experiencing substance abuse are expected to be served with this program. Jolicoeur said the target population that’s identified for the project will have behavioral health needs, and that’s why Bert Nash is identified to be a primary partner.

People who are most in need of these services will be identified through a state system called the Balance of State Continuum of Care, which collects data about individuals and families experiencing homelessness to help connect them to services. The program would give priority to those who are chronically homeless or are most at risk of becoming homeless; that includes people fleeing from domestic violence or human trafficking and those who face other obstacles to housing, such as recently having been hospitalized or incarcerated.

Jolicoeur also shared with commissioners that in the next couple of weeks, a homelessness dashboard will be live online for the community to see data of what homelessness looks like in Douglas County. She added that it will be important to track how the county maintains functional zero homelessness, ensuring residents continue to have access to safe, affordable housing once it’s established, and that homelessness is rare and brief.

Commissioner Patrick Kelly said that when it comes to addressing challenges in the community, each is unique.

“I think what we have to do is, as a community, extend a place of curiosity and generosity to try to help each individual person be the best they can be while they’re here in Douglas County,” Kelly said.

In other business, county commissioners:

• Instructed county staff to prepare for a bond sale of around $55 million to fund the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center project, as well as the development of the Public Safety Building. This $55 million is a reduction from earlier plans, which had called for the issuance of $60 million in bonds for the projects.

In December, the commissioners had approved a total project budget of nearly $82 million. Under the new debt plan, the county will allocate an additional $5 million from its cash reserves, bringing the total cash contribution to $25 million, compared to the previous plan, which called for $20 million in cash. The next step for the bond issuance is a resolution to authorize the sale on April 9. Commissioners will award the sale of the bonds on May 7 and receipts of proceeds and a settlement of the bonds will be available on May 28.

• Authorized Douglas County court staff to proceed with an agreement to utilize federal grant funds to support the Veterans Treatment Court, a program designed to assist individuals in the criminal justice system who are dealing with mental health or substance abuse issues linked to their military service. The county received a $1 million federal grant in November that is expected to be used to cover the expenses.

Commissioners also approved $348,390 of projected expenses from the county to help fund the program over the next four years. These funds will be 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. The county will be reimbursed with the awarded federal funds, which is administered by the Kansas Office of Judicial Administration.

• Approved a proposal for consulting services from the Government Finance Officers Association to assist with the county’s enterprise resource planning software project, with a cost not to exceed $145,000. The project aims to implement software that will manage and integrate key government functions, such as finance, budgeting, procurement, and human resources, while ensuring efficiency and transparency.

GFOA supports local governments by offering a range of services, including advisory support, training, best practices and project management expertise throughout the entire project lifecycle, from planning to post-implementation, as well as ongoing support. Their role is to ensure that the system meets the county’s operational needs and improves financial management.

• Authorized 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 for legal representation in child welfare cases, specifically for children in need of care. This funding will support cases involving children who have been removed from their homes and placed in the custody of the Department for Children and Families.

• Approved 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. In this role, he will oversee medical care for all fire departments in Douglas County, not just LDCFM. His responsibilities will include reviewing incident care, managing EMS training, and working to enhance 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.

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

• Awarded 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.

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

• Heard 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 were 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.