Douglas County Joins ICMA Economic Mobility Cohort; Staff to Develop Guaranteed-Income Work Plan

The Douglas County Commission on May 28 authorized the deputy county administrator to sign a subgrant agreement with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) to participate in an Economic Mobility Community of Practice, a peer-learning cohort funded through the Gates Foundation.

County staff said the $24,000 award will support participation in the cohort and related planning work; no direct county cash match is required, and the county’s contribution will be staff time for meetings, trainings and development of a work plan. Jill (county staff) said the county applied to the cohort to advance priorities already identified in the county’s community health plan — notably work on a guaranteed-income pilot initiative and a childcare scholarship fund — and that the initial work plan is likely to focus on guaranteed income as a proof-of-concept.

“Right now, that does continue to be the strategy that we’ve identified and we’re going to keep working towards and studying,” Jill said, but she also emphasized the county will not implement a cash pilot with these funds and that any program using taxpayer dollars would require separate approvals under state law.

Commissioner Anderson asked about compliance with recent state legislation, House Bill 2101, which requires review if taxpayer dollars would fund a guaranteed-income program. Jill replied that, as currently planned, the cohort grant is private funding for planning and that only programs that use state or local taxpayer funds would trigger the statute’s notification and approval requirements.

Public comment included cautionary remarks. John Imbs, a Lawrence resident, reminded the commission that HB 2101 restricts the use of taxpayer dollars for guaranteed-income programs and noted that previous national pilot evaluations show most guaranteed-income funds are spent on retail purchases rather than housing or health costs. The commission’s motion to authorize the deputy county administrator to sign the subgrant agreement passed 5-0.

Staff described existing local partners on guaranteed-income planning work as including LiveWell Douglas County, the Family Resource Center, United Way of the Kaw Valley and the Children’s Community Center. Jill said the ICMA cohort will provide exposure to other models, technical assistance and peer experience; staff committed to returning with a developed work plan and to share findings with the commission.

Ending: The grant authorization is for planning and peer learning; the county has not committed operational or taxpayer funds to a guaranteed-income pilot. Staff will return with a work plan and bring any proposal that uses local taxpayer funds to the commission for review as required by state law.