photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County commissioners meet with justice service partners during budget hearings on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

During the second day of budget hearings, Douglas County commissioners discussed the potential of funding key positions and expanded legal services at the Douglas County District Court’s self-help center, the referral hub for the county’s tenant eviction defense pilot program.

The Self-Help Center of Douglas County District Court – a free, court-based resource center helping individuals represent themselves in the county – had three additional funding requests for county commissioners to discuss on Tuesday.

Two of the funding requests are for two positions at the Self-Help Center – a district court navigator and eviction diverson coordinator, costing $97,822 and $67,363, respectively. Both of the positions are important in maintaining current service levels at the Self-Help Center.

The district court navigator position was created in 2025 using federal American Rescue Plan Act funding and is scheduled to end in December 2026. The Self-Help Center also employs an eviction diversion coordinator, but the position is currently funded through a combination of county dollars and grant funding that expires in 2026. The Self-Help Center is now asking the county to fully fund the position going forward.

Commissioner Shannon Reid said both of the funding requests for the positions were important to the Self-Help Center’s success in the future, and she was glad they were included in the proposed budget. Since both positions were funded with some sort of grant funding in the past, Reid asked if that would be a possibility again in the future.

“I am always on the lookout for grant funding, just in case, especially for those two positions,” Casey Forsyth, director of the Self-Help Center, said. “I don’t anticipate, and I haven’t found any grant funding for those two positions.”

Additionally, the District Court is requesting $37,440 in ongoing funding – that is not funded in the proposed budget – for one additional day per week of access to legal services from a licensed attorney in the Self-Help Center.

Currently, there is only one day a week for six hours a licensed attorney is available to provide legal assistance, and that is made possible through a federal Office of Judicial Administration grant.

As the Journal-World reported, county commissioners have approved a tenant eviction defense pilot program to provide legal advice, limited representation, or full representation to up to 80 low- and moderate-income residents facing landlord-tenant disputes. The Self-Help Center acts as a primary referral hub for the program, and Kansas Holistic Defenders and Kansas Legal Services are running the pilot.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County commissioners meet with Sheriff Jay Armbrister and Undersheriff Stacy Simmons on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

According to comments from county staff about the $37,440 in ongoing funding, it was ranked only a “medium” priority because the long-term service needs at the Self-Help Center were unknown at this time since the pilot program just kicked off.

The pilot lasts seven months, from June 1 to Dec. 31, 2026. Even though the pilot just got underway, Commissioner Erica Anderson was interested to hear any outcomes on the program thus far.

“I would say thus far, with only 30 days in, I think it’s going pretty smoothly,” Forsyth said.

While funding for the tenant eviction defense program is included in county staff’s proposed budget, the funding is only there in case commissioners decide to continue the project past the pilot period, and that will depend on data and findings from the pilot.

“We’ve offered it to every eviction tenant who’s coming in on that answer docket,” Forsyth said. “Some folks are declining, some people are accepting.”

Forsyth added that the Self-Help Center has updated its eviction resource material for tenants facing eviction. So when tenants get served, they will be given information about the tenant eviction defense program and how to access those services.

Sam Allison-Natale, executive director of Kansas Holistic Defenders, said the partnership between the Self-Help Center and Kansas Legal Services has been going great.

“It’s great having additional attorneys there,” Allison-Natale said, adding that KHD and KLS help out wherever it is needed. “And because of this, as far as I can tell, we haven’t had to say no to anyone.”

County commissioners also heard from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, and they discussed how operations at the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center will continue once the Sheriff’s Office moves into the new Public Safety Building, which is next to the Douglas County Jail.

Last year, commissioners funded two deputy positions in the 2026 budget in preparation for the expansion of the JLEC. In the 2027 proposed budget, two additional deputy positions totaling $239,474 are included to cover the full security needs at the JLEC.

Sheriff deputies manage courthouse security, conduct metal detector screenings and transport incarcerated individuals from the jail to the courtrooms. They also enforce rules inside the courtroom and provide protection for judges, jurors and the public.

“Every time we have somebody that’s incarcerated, they have to have a deputy with them,” Douglas County Undersheriff Stacy Simmons said. ” … We need those individuals to be able to respond to something that’s outside of the building or inside of the building.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

Douglas County staff has proposed a $201.5 million budget, holding the property tax rate flat at 40.669 mills, as the Journal-World reported. One mill is equal to one dollar per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. With the proposed budget, a homeowner with a $600,000 home would pay $2,805 in property taxes to the county under the proposed mill levy. A $300,000 home would have a bill of $1,405 and a $200,000 home would incur $935 in taxes.

The tax a property owner pays is determined by both the mill levy and the property’s assessed value, so even if tax rates stay steady or are lowered, rising property values might still cause tax bills to go up for many residents. The total assessed property valuation increased by 4.9% in 2026, compared to a 5.7% increase the previous year.

On Wednesday, county commissioners will continue budget hearings with local agencies and county departments from 9 a.m. to noon in the Douglas County Commission meeting room at 1100 Massachusetts St. The Journal-World previously reported the full schedule of 2027 budget hearings and deliberations.

Commissioners will hear from Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, Baldwin City Chamber, Baldwin City Economic Development Corporation, Economic Development Corporation of Lawrence and Douglas County, KU Innovation Park, KU Small Business Development Center, Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, Center for Supportive Communities, O’Connell Children’s Shelter and Van Go.

The public is welcome to attend in person or join virtually on Zoom, and there is no opportunity for public comments during hearings or deliberations. The details from the meeting and recordings will be available on the county’s YouTube page.

The full 2027 proposed budget can be accessed on the county’s website at dgcoks.gov/administration/budget.