[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6177561,"mediaKeyId","5335687-bcc4a71a4e9e541808ba350f89278393","parentId",5335687,"title","Heritage, land-conservation and extension groups press county for steady support and one-time aids for 2026","audioSeconds",8541,"startMs",8541000,"endMs",-1,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5335687-bcc4a71a4e9e541808ba350f89278393&start=8541&end=0","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5335687-bcc4a71a4e9e541808ba350f89278393/thumbnail_8541000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6177561/Kansas/Heritage-land-conservation-and-extension-groups-press-county-for-steady-support-and-one-time-aids-for-2026","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6177561-ac6809a9fba8a0ccc80b76806e26490b/orig.mp4?Expires=1773567721&Signature=Iak4s8Tukej7B~RHXQzEef0OH8roiLsp8GQhlQY5mPEOuXzMRmWBUP7ctsFK9MH4v8PLj6uqs0u1d5FvtbIWJb-iQG4d7vVFkbw1dv-nSy6-ANRSab9E52HC8q2ReROZRZlrx18P1AIBI6GMau1pIsOM1qFfhDOz5HjL92XuRoGHaFnJBCN1e5Cr5IOfm8ky6duCcjGhtnJ0I5hY4JDYzHlY-CExPEK98LpVNpQPFCs4ItfK6aNzGiTal2vlpN0YXZ6Ck7P421I~Atc6JrlmnQ85l~5tCJ01fkxBgVv0oyMFyjvvs9nUx9XoLuxUK88RF3yG5JowgBcb-trAliMRrQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Douglas County, KS","date","2025-07-09T09:01:56.06Z","article","Douglas County’s Heritage and Land group — including historical societies, Freedom’s Frontier, the conservation district and the extension council — presented requests and updates July 8 as part of the county’s 2026 budget hearings, asking for one‑time funding for celebrations and staffing support while reporting new state grants and collaborative planning work.

Caitlin Amerlin, the county’s heritage conservation coordinator, described a needs assessment launched in May to map the local heritage ecosystem and to recommend how the county can support long‑term sustainability. Amerlin said the assessment will conclude in October and could inform strategic planning for county funding of historical partners.

Heritage organizations requested continued support for a community celebrations grant program. Commissioners approved an initial $20,000 cohort last year; Amerlin reported demand exceeded available funds with 12 applications requesting roughly $68,000–$70,000 in total. The heritage group’s 2026 supplemental asks include $20,000 to create a second cohort that would fund established annual events and legacy celebrations.

The Watkins Museum and other partners described shared services and payroll support for smaller historical organizations. Steve Novak, executive director of the Watkins Museum, said the museum has been a regional hub to provide administrative and staffing support for smaller partner organizations — an arrangement now in its second year for some societies and intended to reduce overhead for volunteer-led sites.

Freedom’s Frontier told commissioners it closed a standalone office and is now operating out of the Watkins Museum to reduce overhead; the organization reported redirecting funds into public programming and partnership events. Freedom’s Frontier also presented a one‑time supplemental request to fund a half‑time collections manager for a limited period tied to a donor match and possible grant applications.

Conservation District Manager Susie Mooney reported a recent state increase to the statutory minimum match to conservation districts and said Douglas County’s conservation district received a reimbursement grant to hire a full‑time technician — a three-year, renewable reimbursement arrangement that will require the district to pay up front and seek reimbursement. Mooney said the district is running more conservatively in 2025 while it adjusts to NRCS and state changes.

Marlon Bates, county extension director, discussed the extension council’s separate statutory budget process and said the council will file a proposed budget with the county clerk this week but can make adjustments after commissioners’ deliberations if needed. Commissioners and Bates discussed the statutory 10‑day cycles that govern extension budget submission and review.

Commissioners and heritage partners also discussed a legacy Sester Centennial and larger community events tied to the 2026 World Cup timeline; partners described collaboration to present local history to visitors while seeking ways to expand programming without creating unsustainable recurring county obligations.

No formal funding votes were taken at the hearing. Commissioners asked staff to include the heritage needs assessment results and updated grant data when they review supplemental requests during final budget deliberations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Douglas County, KS, Commissioners Budget Hearings on July 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Douglas County’s heritage, conservation and extension groups asked July 8 for a mix of one‑time and ongoing supports as part of the 2026 budget hearings, citing increased collaboration and new state grants but also unmet demand for celebration funding and collections support.","taxTitle","County Commission, Douglas County, Kansas","taxId",69828,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6177566,"District court, district attorney seek staff changes and permanent eviction coordinator as county weighs funding",899,2923000,3822000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5335687-bcc4a71a4e9e541808ba350f89278393&start=2923&end=3822","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5335687-bcc4a71a4e9e541808ba350f89278393/thumbnail_2923000.jpg","/articles/6177566/Kansas/District-court-district-attorney-seek-staff-changes-and-permanent-eviction-coordinator-as-county-weighs-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6177566-3907dbbbbd85ccea922ca2b646097644/orig.mp4?Expires=1773567721&Signature=VTGxIb309gQcsDgI44jaPRp7Ve50~GzAlbV9Yuepnps8IK3QTE~WGIDi7xi4VahCwl5SyUowpzFBNxCtZEc12LHKtSgnRaQWJDRozlVQm3lX2GfCAzQHW79pWX2~I3cW6~FHLmJ-bV1dKnEQw-gjELAgUlvEHNLvaHELagNGcwZAC4g3v1LO9qPFHEg7Botx6VL99HxV0gRbdh-Jf57QrswMHT3N4xEGhYA~j~xLGbCpGUoiCSN5si5g75QSHY1dYBVQE7krdvz428DmSte5Pypn3RipsJGeyM5oyXIH6lYF8IQYiD1eePPw79PeEE4PpO5ISe-ocgWUojqsV~pQzg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Douglas County’s justice partners presented multiple supplemental requests during the 2026 budget hearings July 8, including a request by district court to make an eviction resolution coordinator permanent and requests for increased pay or additional staffing from both the district court and the district attorney.

Katie Fitzgerald, criminal justice coordinator, told commissioners that district court has a supplemental request to make the eviction resolution coordinator position full time and permanent. That position was initially funded by a National Center for State Courts grant and, over a three‑year period, the grant share stepped down. District court described the position as supporting persons facing eviction by coordinating referrals, connecting tenants to self‑help and community services and reducing duplicative effort among agencies.

District court staff said the coordinator role has helped increase court appearances and contributed to a rise in dismissal orders for long‑inactive eviction filings. Brandy and Adelaide (first name in the transcript) were identified as staff connected to the program; Adelaide is the eviction resolution coordinator who works with the self‑help center and coordinates referrals to legal services and mediation.

“Adelaide has accomplished within that period of time,” a district court representative said when summarizing outcomes, and the court offered to share outcome data and dismissal statistics with commissioners for follow-up.

The district court also requested an increase to the panel-attorney stipend that covers counsel who accept child‑in‑need‑of‑care and similar civil appointments; Kansas Legal Services provided comparative data supporting an increase and advocates argued a higher monthly stipend would help retain experienced attorneys and keep continuity on complex civil dockets.

Dakota Loomis, the newly elected district attorney, presented two supplemental requests for the district attorney’s office: converting an allocated 0.4 assistant district attorney position to full time (to handle charging decisions and complex cases) and adding a legal assistant dedicated to juvenile caseloads. Loomis said converting the 0.4 position to full time is partly practical — the office had difficulty recruiting at the 0.4 FTE level — and said the 2026 market‑merit adjustments in the proposed budget would apply to law enforcement and the district attorney’s office countywide.

Loomis said the office is experiencing higher charging volume, a larger juvenile docket earlier in the year and a need for back‑office support so prosecutors can prepare cases and meet with families and victims. He described the staffing changes as important to reduce turnover and prevent triage that can delay charging, case preparation and victim contact.

Commissioners asked for outcome metrics and data. District court representatives said they could provide more detailed reports on eviction program referrals, dismissal orders and the monthly case audits for warrants. Kansas Legal Services and members of the sync panel offered to provide their comparative pay data and justification for increasing the panel stipend.

No formal votes were taken; commissioners signaled they will review the submitted data and consider whether to fund the requests during the budget deliberation process.","Douglas County’s justice partners presented multiple supplemental requests during the 2026 budget hearings July 8, including a request by district court to make an eviction resolution coordinator permanent and staffing increases sought by the district attorney.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6177571,"Douglas County sheriff asks commissioners for IT staff and additional deputies tied to courthouse expansion",2713,105000,2818000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5335687-bcc4a71a4e9e541808ba350f89278393&start=105&end=2818","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5335687-bcc4a71a4e9e541808ba350f89278393/thumbnail_105000.jpg","/articles/6177571/Kansas/Douglas-County-sheriff-asks-commissioners-for-IT-staff-and-additional-deputies-tied-to-courthouse-expansion","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6177571-b3965831768d2f56a9043e118c4481cb/orig.mp4?Expires=1773567721&Signature=GooVnYllDTjAW9hIia9~ch7JLUcH2bfAozpW38Ko37ZnEdXgTB72QbyF~FkxLeo0cMiAi-PFl5v9zzN7SAtRXK-ePWi6nWmj19qrL4Z6CUNuSzq6mcoQ2cwIZ8yEiZM~oOJZHrLka5MJlw~KJmGx5o0sp4FF4II~~uiNktL6dGx6ujAAa8jSAoJkfMUkdkF29KAOCEFzy15G5YvyD8SfcFIyZR6B56S87nppahG4dS-YRxJ0WKyLh5daNZ-AXBmt5Ftg~~xR42EHMa2kbREP74Y4qx8oa4rCEDKTnkhInGzEwi9NlnkeOxk2nj5LMkUI0c4MUHb22gA9iuSXRo8LhA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Douglas County Commission heard detailed requests July 8 from the sheriff's office asking the county to add IT personnel and sworn deputies to meet current operations and support an expanded courthouse.

Katie Fitzgerald, criminal justice coordinator, told commissioners the sheriff's supplemental requests “reflect continuing to meet the needs of today and preparing to meet the needs of tomorrow,” and described a package that includes additional IT support and four deputy positions.

Fitzgerald said two of the four deputies were already included in the county administrator’s proposed 2026 budget for court security. The sheriff’s office requested the remaining two deputies: one additional deputy to staff court security and a second to support warrant service, a function currently staffed by a single deputy for at least 27 years.

Under Sheriff Stacy Simmons said the sheriff's IT team is “more jack of all trades than they are specifics,” and described responsibilities that include cybersecurity, mobile data terminals in vehicles, dispatch systems and the jail’s records management system. Simmons said the sheriff’s unit operates 24/7 and that county IT is organized differently and largely works day shifts.

“Sitting where we are, we are holding on, but we are not meeting — we're not meeting what we have to do now,” Simmons said, arguing a dedicated IT position would let the sheriff’s office move from reactive maintenance to proactive planning.

Sarah, the county administrator, said she did not include the sheriff’s IT position in her proposed budget because she focused the initial proposal on positions strictly required to open the new tower and the Public Safety Building, and because keeping the mill levy flat set a high bar for additions. She told commissioners that the IT request is valid but outside the strict set of priorities she advanced in the proposal.

Commissioners pressed whether increases to the daily jail housing rate paid by municipalities could cover additional IT or staffing costs. Major LaRhonda Rome and other sheriff's office staff explained the jail daily rate is based on a three-year average of jail costs and is updated annually; Major Gary Bunting said the current daily rate is $265.96 and includes 24-hour mental health and medical coverage.

On warrants, commissioners and sheriff's office staff said the office is statutorily responsible for serving district court warrants and that more warrants are added than are served. Sheriff staff said having a second warrants deputy would increase safety and speed of service; they described that higher-risk felony warrant attempts would often be done with two deputies for safety while many other warrants would be handled individually.

Sheriff staff also said the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center (LEC) remodel and the new Public Safety Building (PSB) will expand secure holding areas, key-carded doors, additional cameras, courtroom AV and an increased need for staffing to operate a control center and manage transport and public entrance security. The sheriff's office said some staffing needs will begin as construction and the tower opening progress, with an anticipated mid‑2026 ramp-up to operations and security needs.

Discussion-only items: commissioners and staff discussed options including funding the IT position, assigning costs to the jail budget (which would flow into the per-diem city rates), and the timing for hiring deputies so they can complete training before court security needs begin.

The meeting did not include a vote on the sheriff’s supplemental requests; commissioners left the items available for further deliberation during the county’s budget hearings.

Ending: Commissioners recessed the hearing after the sheriff’s presentation and moved to other budget groups; no formal decision on the additional IT position or the remaining deputy requests was recorded in this session.","The sheriff's office outlined a supplemental 2026 budget request for IT personnel and four deputies — two already included in the administrator's proposed budget and two requested for court security and warrant service — and described staffing needs tied to the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center remodel and the new Public Safety Building.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Heritage, land-conservation and extension groups press county for steady support and one-time aids for 2026

District court, district attorney seek staff changes and permanent eviction coordinator as county weighs funding

Douglas County sheriff asks commissioners for IT staff and additional deputies tied to courthouse expansion