May 2024 Leavenworth County Newsletter

• Board of County Commissioners
• Sheriff Office
• Emergency Management
• Job Openings
• Employee Spotlights
• County Attorney's Office
• Health Department
• Council on Aging
• Treasurer's Office
• Register of Deeds
• Transfer Station
• Planning and Zoning
• Public Works

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

In this week's Board of County Commissioner's meeting a proclamation was issued recognizing May 2024 as Older Americans Month, a time for us to recognize and honor Leavenworth County older adults and their immense influence on every facet of American society.

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The County Attorney’s Office showed its support for Wear Blue Day for Child Abuse Prevention Month by wearing blue. Some office members posed for a quick picture.

Todd and a few of the assistant county attorneys from the office met with members of the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office for training on March 28 inside the Leavenworth 

Assistant County Attorney David Melton has left the Leavenworth County Attorney's Office to continue his career at the Pima County Attorney's Office in Tucson, Arizona, where he will be closer to his family, including his daughter and young grandchild. On his last day in the office, April 18, County Attorney Todd Thompson honored David for his dedicated service.

County Attorney Todd Thompson expressed: "We are grateful for David's service. He has spent his life working to better the communities in which he has lived. We've been lucky to have David spend so much time of his career assuring the community's safety. David has never waivered when challenged and has seen successful convictions for some of the most heinous crimes in the state. Our loss is Arizona's gain. I know his daughter and her new family are excited for David and his wife to join them." 

Born and raised in Shawnee, Kansas, Dave attended the University of Kansas and received a bachelor's degree in English. Following college, he was a police officer in the city of Merriam. Following his service as a police officer, he attended the University of Kansas School of Law. While in law school, he interned at the Johnson County District Attorney's Office. Upon graduation from law school, he was hired as an Assistant County Attorney by Saline County. In 2000, he joined the Leavenworth County Attorney's Office, where he established the county's first Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit. During his tenure, he was named the Advocate of the Year by the Alliance Against Family Violence. He then became the office's drug crimes prosecutor, prosecuting primarily felony drug crimes. While with Leavenworth County, he served on the Alliance Against Family Violence board. Dave eventually left Leavenworth County in 2005 to become Chief Assistant Douglas County District Attorney. After 16 years with Douglas County, David returned to Leavenworth County. During KCDAA's 2023 Fall Conference, Mr. Melton was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. 

The County Attorney’s Office celebrated Law Day by hosting an art contest featuring works created by 5^th-grade students from Lansing Intermediate School. Students who received parental or guardian permission were asked to create unique pieces of art that would highlight the importance of voting. Thirty pieces were displayed in an office hallway while staff members voted on their top three. Following the contest's conclusion, County Attorney Todd Thompson not only presented each participating student artist with certificates during a ceremony held at the school, but he also fielded various questions regarding the law.  

Sheriff's Office

The Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office is pleased to announce Lt. Brian Patterson has achieved recognition as a National Certified Corrections Supervisor on April 30, 2024. 

The NCCS program is administered by the National Institute of Jail Operations and challenges detention professionals to achieve excellence in performance and knowledge via a challenging body of course work, self-reflection and critical thinking.

Lt. Patterson has been employed by the sheriff's office for more than 16 years and currently serves as the Detention Division Commander.

Beyond the curriculum, the class was divided into four groups, with each group conducting a community service project on their own time.  The group Lt. Fast was a member of was recognized for having the top project.  Additionally, Lt. Patterson was recognized by his classmates as the Outstanding Leader. 

Congratulations to these individuals for their hard work and dedication to our community!

Sheriff Office Job Openings

Job Openings

Are you looking for a new career?

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 May! We are proud to have dedicated employees on our team!

Retirements

After eight years of service with the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office, Dan Hansen decided it was time to start enjoying the retirement life.

Dan was hired as a Security Officer in 2016 and after a few months transitioned to Registration Clerk.

The Sheriff's Admin Staff celebrated Dan by having a food day and showering him with farewell gifts on his last day, Tuesday, April 30th.

We wish him all the best in this next chapter of his life. His presence will be missed by all that had the enjoyment of working with him!

Leavenworth County EMS

Emergency Management

We have been very busy with severe storms in the area for the last few weeks. High winds plagued the County on the 25th of April, bringing winds over 60 MPH; with that said, be very careful when driving or walking. Tree limbs or whole trees have fallen on cars, houses, and roadways. 

The next item of safety we want to provide you is with all of the rain we have experienced. Flooding is of significant concern. We have been monitoring creeks and streams to provide ample warning to the citizens of Leavenworth County. With that statement, please understand the power of moving water.

Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than any other thunderstorm-related hazard. Over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood waters. The highest percentage of flood-related deaths are from walking into or near flood waters. People underestimate the force and power of water. Many deaths are from people driving cars into moving water, and vehicles are swept away downstream. Never drive through flood waters, period! A mere 6 inches of water is enough to knock a full-grown adult off their feet. It only takes 12 inches of moving water to carry most cars and 2 feet for most SUVs.

Remember, when faced with flooding, the best course of action is to Turn Around, Don’t Drown!

Council on Aging

County Treasurer's Office

1.  For the month of May, motor vehicles with owners’ last names starting with the letter “E” "F" & “G” will be due by May 31st.
2. The Tonganoxie Annex will now be open from 7:30am-4:00pm.
3. The 2nd half of personal property taxes will be due by May 10th. Interest will start accruing May 11th.
   
4. 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.
5. Taxpayers may renew their vehicles up to 60 days in advance of their renewal deadline.
6. Note: Starting January 2024 we will be giving out different plate styles. You can find them on our website.
7. Driver's License renewals at the Annex are now taking appointments again. Please call to set up an appointment at 913-364-5730.

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 - May 2024

New Invoicing and Payment System Implemented

The Register of Deeds office moved to a new invoicing and payment system, LAREDO Connect, for our professional research subscribers. The automated invoicing and online payment processes creates a more efficient process for everyone.                                       

Back Indexing Progress at a Fast Pace

Staff has been very productive on back indexing our newly scanned images. Indexing makes our images searchable by name, date, document type, etc., now back to July of 1966. Sooner than expected, we are completed through Book 460 and, on our way, down to Book 1!

Thanks to Cindy O’Toole for the lion’s share of indexing work.

My committee work is progressing on a project by the Indexing Work Group to establish best practices for recording jurisdictions when correcting documents through the recording processes known as corrective or re-recording. Both government and business entities are part of the committee.

PRIA Chairwoman Stevie said, “The desired outcome for this project is to define a standardized approach to correcting and re-recording documents that ensures consistency across jurisdictions. This will simplify processes for recorders, LRMS vendors, submitters, title companies, mortgage companies, eRecording vendors, attorneys, and government agencies resulting in increased efficiency, reduced confusion, and improved industry standards.”

Another title theft was discovered when a woman came in to file a Transfer on Death Deed and learned her property was in her brother’s name.  Her shock and denial moved to acceptance of the fact, then to action as she began making plans on how to correct the wrong doing.  Sadly, about half of the frauds I’ve researched had some family relationship.

Be aware. Be informed!  If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to our Property Fraud Alert notifications.  Then share the service with friends and family.  Call 913-684-0424 or email tmashburn@leavenworthcounty.gov to update your contact information or subscribe.

Right on the heals of the attack on Jackson Co. MO, Kansas City MO was hit with a ransomware attack as well as Wichita KS.

Fraudsters seem to be waking up from hibernation.  Multiple calls are coming into my office on schemes such as ‘…your dog bit my delivery driver and I need to see your home owner’s insurance,’ credit card skimming, ‘I’m with Evergy here to install your new solar panels,’ text messages to sell your home, and the KS State Treasurer mailings.  Check in on the Nextdoor app to find new fraud and scam methods reported in Leavenworth County.

As always, stay diligent to research and know who you are dealing with before you call, click, sign, or hand over money.

April 21st - Delta Sigma Theta - Program presented for Financial Fortitude Month
May 2nd - Council on Aging - Positive Aging Resource Fair
May 4th - Linwood Community Center

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

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

Appraiser's Office