photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County commissioners met on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.

Douglas County commissioners executed an updated agreement related to the South Lawrence Trafficway expansion project on Wednesday, outlining the city and county’s payments to cover the project’s cost.

The new three-party agreement between the county, the City of Lawrence and the Kansas Department of Transportation modifies the original agreement to reflect minor changes in the city’s obligation, and the county’s obligations have not changed. The original agreement outlined the city and county payments to cover the cost of local road improvements completed by KDOT. This item was included in the county commissioners’ consent agenda, where all items are approved in one motion.

According to a memo in the agenda, Douglas County fulfilled its obligation in January 2025, paying $320,000 to KDOT from the capital improvement project fund.

While both contracts required the city to cover utility relocation, provide a $6,005,000 local match for construction, and pay 100% of any non-participating costs within city limits or on turnback portions, the edited version adds that the city must also pay $166,398.92 for aesthetic improvements along Iowa Street and specifies that this added amount must be paid by July 1, 2026.

The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and city staff have asked KDOT to provide design plans for several aesthetic enhancements at the K-10/Iowa interchange, Michael Leos, a city spokesperson, told the Journal-World via email. The work includes black powder-coated fencing for the Lawrence Loop pedestrian bridge, aesthetic staining of the sidewalk retaining walls, and extensions or additions to retaining walls beneath the K-10 & Iowa bridge.

In other business, county commissioners:

• Approved a charter for a new group, the Douglas County Crisis Response Coalition. The charter envisions the group working in partnership with county and municipal leadership to give advice and recommendations on how to best respond to behavioral health crisis situations.

The vision of the coalition is to increase the coordination of such care in Douglas County, and to create strategies to minimize the need for emergency personnel and law enforcement involvement, according to a memo provided to county commissioners. The co-chairs of the new group will include Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart and Bob Tryanski, the county’s director of behavioral health projects.

• Approved an increase of $150,000 for 2025 legal services from the firm Seyferth, Blumenthal & Harris. In February, county commissioners approved the purchase of services in the amount of $400,000, and as of September 2025, the county has paid $389,893. County staff was looking to increase the blanket purchase order – or the pre-approved spending limit for these services.

County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said the county uses multiple law firms depending on the situation, all paid from the same budget line, and some costs are also tied to the county’s liability insurance premiums. She added that some of the additional $150,000 is needed to pay for legal work the county has already received and been billed for in October and November, not only for legal services that will happen later.

• Awarded a construction contract to WCI Inc. for two culvert replacement projects with a total construct cost of $765,012 and authorized the Public Works director to approve change orders totaling up to 10% of the contract price. The first project is located on Route 460, also known as North 700 Road, between East 2000 and East 2100 roads. The other project will be on North 700 Road, east of East 300 Road.