Douglas County proclaims 811 Day, Emergency Management Awareness Month and Poll Worker Appreciation Day

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 4 approved three proclamations recognizing utility-safety awareness, emergency-management work and poll-worker recruitment.

The board read and adopted a proclamation designating Aug. 11 as "811 Day" to encourage safe digging practices and utility-location calls. Later, Sarah Chase read a proclamation declaring August 2026 as Emergency Management Awareness Month to recognize local emergency managers and the county Emergency Management Agency; the chair thanked staff and named Director James Queen. "We are always managing the unexpected, particularly around emergencies," Chair Ramona Jackson Jones said, thanking emergency-management staff for their service.

The board also proclaimed Aug. 4 as National Poll Worker Recruitment and Appreciation Day and recognized poll workers in the room. Commissioner Martin Raxton praised local poll workers during remarks: "I sleep well at night knowing that we have the best poll workers, poll watchers in the country right here in Douglas County." All three proclamations were approved by unanimous vote (5-0).