March 2024 Leavenworth County Newsletter

Board of County Commissioners

The Board of County Commissioners serves as the Chief Legislative and Executive Branch of the County Government. Composed of five members, with each Commissioner representing a district of the County.

The duties of the Board of County Commissioners include:

  • Approving the County budget and expenditures
  • Appointing the various department heads of the County
  • Exercising powers of local legislation


BOCC Board

At the last Board of County Commissioner's meeting, Chairman Jeff Culbertson read a proclamation declaring March as "March for Meals Month."

Meals on Wheels programs in Leavenworth County, Kansas, not only deliver nutritious meals to seniors and individuals with disabilities at significant risk of hunger and isolation but also use meal delivery as a welfare check.

We will use this month to raise awareness to ensure these vital services can continue for years to come.

We encourage community members to take this month to honor our senior nutrition programs, the individuals they serve, and the volunteers who care for them.

Our recognition of, and involvement in, the National March for Meals celebrations can enrich our entire community and help combat senior hunger and isolation in America.

Meals for Wheels BOCC



A view from the roof of the Justice Center at 601 S. 3rd Street, Leavenworth, KS, facing North.
County Attorney's Office

NEW HIRE
Christen “Christy” Secrest (1)
Recent Meeting
Guidance Group

County Attorney Todd Thompson and Assistant County Attorney Ashley Hutton recently met with The Guidance Center’s Chief Clinical Officer Ashley Phillips and Justice Involved Behavioral Health Liason Jeffrey Robinson. They, along with others, discussed how to address best the mental health crises of not only justice-involved individuals but those in the community struggling with severe mental health crises.

Pictured: Jeffrey Robinson, Ashley Phillips, Todd Thompson, Ashley Hutton

Sheriff's Office
LVSO Badge

Sheriff Office Job Openings

The Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office is seeking hardworking, dedicated, and career-minded professionals for the positions of:
Deputy Sheriff (Patrol Division) - $23.35/Hour, Full-Time, Benefits Eligible, Pay Consideration for Experience/Education

Deputy Sheriff Job Description

Detention Officer - $20.76/Hour, Full-Time, Benefits Eligible
Detention Officer Job Description

To apply click here.  

Job Openings

Are you looking for a new career?

Now Hiring March

Leavenworth County is a great place to work!

You can find all of our current job openings on our job opening section of our website.

Employee Anniversaries

One of our greatest resources at Leavenworth County is our hard-working employees. We would like to congratulate each employee celebrating a work anniversary milestone during the month of February! We are proud to have dedicated employees on our team!

March Anniversary


Dawn Owens, Assistant Director
Council on Aging
Owens, Dawn
The Council on Aging recently welcomed Dawn Owens to its team as Assistant Director. We look forward to all the great things she will bring to the COA. Let's take a second to get to know Dawn a little!

Dawn, tell us a little about yourself.

I grew up in The Bronx (New York City) and moved to Kansas City in 1991. 
I've worked in the older adult programming arena for almost 20 years, developing programs for older adults in Kansas City, Broward County, FL, and New Haven, CT. 

After moving around the country for six years, I made one of the best decisions in my life to come back to Kansas City in 2022.  

I have a son named Asher, two beautiful German Shephard grandpuppies and am happiest when I'm with them or spending time with my friends.

What drew you to the COA?

What drew me to the COA was being able to work with an agency that is so well-respected and making an impact on older adults in Leavenworth County.

I also wanted to surround myself with others whose professional and personal goals were to have a positive influence on the older adults in their community.

What kind of projects are you most excited to work on?

First, I'm most excited about meeting as many of our participants as possible and learning how we can continue to meet their needs.  

In addition, I'm looking forward to working on all of the fun and engaging special events we host to help raise funds and awareness of the COA.

What is something you can't live without?

Well, it's not just one "something." I can't live without my son, my friends, my family, music, reading and walking. All of those bring me joy and peace.

What is a fun fact about yourself? 

I was the lead singer in two bands here in Kansas City.

Leavenworth County EMS

EMS 2


Health Department

Over the last several months, the health department underwent some renovations. From flooring to fresh paint to new seating, the health department looks amazing. This project was able to be completed due to a grant received. This allowed for no additional funding from the local community.

HD Hallway BeforeHD Hallway After
























Health Department Hallway Before and After.

Lab BeforeLab After























Health Department Lab Before and After

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Health Department Lab Hallway Before and After

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Health Department Lobby Before and After

Nurse Station Before
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Health Department Nurse's Station Before and After

Emergency ManagementSevere Weather Prep

Preparation is critical to staying safe and minimizing impacts during severe weather.

Be Weather-Ready: Check your forecast regularly to see if there are any weather risks in your area or in the near future. Listen to your local news (TV or radio) or a NOAA Weather Radio. These will help you be informed of upcoming weather, such as severe thunderstorm watches and warnings.NOAA Weather Radio


My AlertsSign up for Notifications: 

The Alertsense App can be downloaded on your mobile device. This app alerts you to certain weather watches and warnings. It will give you weather alerts for the area you are currently in. You can also add multiple locations in the app to keep you informed of other locations, such as families who live elsewhere. This can be done through the Sheriff’s Website page or 
here.



Create a Communications Plan: Have a plan for your family, including a meeting place in case of a disaster and any other important information specific to your family's needs. Pick a safe place in your home to seek shelter, such as the basement, storm cellar, or an interior room with no windows on the structure's lowest floor.

 

Practice Your Plan: Conduct severe thunderstorm drills with your family regularly so everyone knows what to do if damaging winds or large hail is present. Make sure all members of your family know to go there when watches/warnings are issued. Remember your pets, and make sure to have supplies and locations for them as well!!

 

Prepare Your Home: Keep trees and branches trimmed away from your home. If time is present before a storm hits, secure all loose objects outside, close windows and doors, and move valuables inside or under a sturdy structure.

 

Help Your Neighbors: Encourage your friends and community to prepare for emergency situations by taking CPR training and basic first aid training to help assist after a severe incident. Resources will be overwhelmed quickly after an event.


EOC March 11 EOC March 2
Linwood, KS Tornado 2019

Council on Aging


March COA 3
March COA 1
March COA 4

County Treasurer's Office


Treasurers

  1. For the month of March, motor vehicles with owners’ last names starting with the letter “B” will be due by March 31st.
  2. Kansas is replacing ALL embossed license plates, they will automatically be replaced. If you mail your registration payment in, we will be mailing you a new registration with a temp tag. You will receive a new plate in the mail in 1-2 weeks.
  3. Taxpayers may renew their vehicles up to 60 days in advance of their renewal deadline.
  4. Note: Starting January 2024 we will be giving out different plate styles. You can find them on our website.
  5. Driver's License renewals at the Annex are now taking appointments again. Please call to set up an appointment at 913-364-5730.
For more information about renewing your vehicle, visit this section of our website: Renewing Your License Plate.

Building and Grounds

What we do...

Buildings and Grounds tries, to the best of our ability, to be good stewards of taxpayer's money and operate within the annual budget constraints set by the Board of County Commissioners.

What responsibilities fall under Buildings and Grounds?

  • The safe operation and maintenance of 10 county owned buildings and three communication towers with a combined value of over $78 million.
  • Primary focus is on the Courthouse, Justice Center, Health Department, Cushing, EMS facilities, County Shop, Transfer Station and Tonganoxie Annex.
  • Manages all facility construction projects and subcontracted services.

How does Buildings and Grounds accomplish all of the needed operation and maintenance?

  • Buildings and Grounds has a maintenance staff of a director, four technicians, an administrative assistant, four janitorial staff and access to the County Shop personnel and equipment when needed.
  • Buildings and Grounds has many tools in the operation and maintenance toolbox and some are three year on-call contracts, a shop full of hand tools, power tools, mowing equipment and needed parts.
  • Buildings and Grounds has access to the Public Works architectural/engineering support contract for assistance with engineering and architectural design needs.
  • Other tools at our disposal are annual specialty service contracts for elevators, electrical control systems at the Justice Center, fire monitoring, vending and Justice Center janitorial to name a few.

What types of projects does Buildings and Grounds have going today?

  • Water control of the lower scale house at the Transfer Station.
  • Repair / Replacement of water shelf at the Courthouse.
  • Preparation of grounds to weed, feed and mow.
  • Operations and maintenance of the five sewer districts.
  • Day to day requests for operation and maintenance from county employees.

Register of Deeds

NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OFFICE - March 2024

 Property Records Industry Association

In continuing education efforts, the Property Records Industry Association convention was held in Charleston, SC last week. Seminars were presented on the growing issue of property fraud and efforts to defeat it, new concepts of block chaining, and best practices for land records preservation. 

We visited the local Register of Deeds (ROD) office of Karen Hollings.  She is the first woman to ever be elected to the position in 300 years!  Her historic records room was opened to us where we saw records back to 1719. 

03 ROD 1
Pictured left to right: Scott Hines, 2nd generation ROD from Alexander Co NC, ROD TerriLois Mashburn, Karen Hollings ROD Charleston Co SC, and Chris Wright, ROD Platte Co MO.                                          


Thank You to the Building and Grounds Department!

Our beautiful expanded plat cabinet is due to the craftsmanship of our maintenance staff.  They matched perfectly the original cabinet.  We so appreciate their help and care in installation of our new storage cabinet.

By re-using hardware discarded from another ROD office in KS, we were able to save almost $5,000 in construction costs.

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Sharing FREE Property Fraud Alert & Services by Register of Deeds

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February 27, 2024 - Wyandotte County Republican Party

March 9, 2024 - Leavenworth County Democrat Party








If you are part of a club or organization looking for a speaker, I am available to share this community service in person. Email requests TMashburn@LeavenworthCounty.gov or call the office. I would be happy to share a program on Register of Deeds services with your group.

In these uncertain times, I encourage you to protect your property by also researching the benefits of the Transfer on Death Deed and talking with your attorney on any questions you may have about your property ownership. We have forms you may print off for free on our website.


For more information or to subscribe to Property Fraud Alert, call the Register of Deeds at 913.684.0424 or email tmashburn@leavenworthcounty.gov .

Transfer Station

clean up flyer for website 2



Transfer Station Contact Information
24967 136th St, Lansing, KS 66043
Phone: 913.727.2858
Email
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday thru Friday
8:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Saturday
8:00 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Closed Sunday, Monday and all County observed Holidays

Planning and Zoning

PZ March Dig

Planning an exterior home improvement job? Planting a tree? Installing a fence or deck? Whether you are planning to do it yourself or hire a professional, smart digging means calling 811 before each job - even small projects like planting trees and shrubs. The depth of utility lines varies and there may be multiple utility lines in a common area. Digging without calling can disrupt service to an entire neighborhood, harm you and those around you and potentially result in fines and repair costs. Calling 811 before every digging job gets your underground utility lines marked for free and helps prevent undesired consequences.


https://www.kansas811.com/

 Public Works  


IKE Public Works
Governor Laura Kelly recently announced three highway projects located in northeast Kansas, totaling $186 million in infrastructure investment, have been added to the IKE Development Pipeline.Leavenworth County and Wyandotte County will receive 35 million in funding for the K-5 modernization project, which will reconstruct K-5 with new alignment and safety improvements from U.S. 73 southeast to I-435.

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