March 2021

• Board of County Commissioners
• Safe Driving Environment
• Register of Deeds
• Health Department COVID-19 Response
• Transfer Station
• GIS Department
• Treasurer's Office
• Public Works
• Planning & Zoning

THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

The Board of County Commissioners meets regularly each Wednesday, with additional meetings throughout the week as needed. Meetings are live-streamed on Leavenworth County's YouTube Channel.

Here are the highlights of the Board of County Commissioners’ actions and activities.
February 2021:

• The Commission accepted the Missouri River Watershed grant to replace K-45 bridge culvert on 187^th Street and K-56 culvert on Millwood Road.
• The Commission approved resolutions for a Special Use Permit for M & M Concrete, a Rezone for Lot 1 of Cain Estates from RR-5 to RR-2.5 zoning, a Rezone of Lots 9A and 9B of Deer Mound Subdivision from RR-5 to RR-2.5 zoning.
• A work session was held to discuss joint City/County projects.
• The Commission passed a motion to accept the agreement for maintenance of roads in the cities of Leavenworth and Lansing.
• A motion was made to approve Resolution 2021-5, a Traffic Impact Fee Policy.
• Quarterly reports were present for the following departments: Planning and Zoning, Buildings and Grounds, Council on Aging, and Community Corrections.

• Approved rezoning a parcel of land on McIntyre Road from Rural Residential -5 acre zoning to Rural Residential -2.5 acre zoning
• Approved a Special Use Permit for The Barn B & B
• Approved a Special Use Permit for CoolHeat KC Repair Service
• Approved a Special Use Permit for FreeState Electric Solar Farm

More information, including official minutes, votes and videos on all items are available  at  County Commission Schedule and Material

SAFE DRIVING ENVIRONMENT

Leavenworth County Sheriff Deputies will join other Kansas Law Enforcement agencies participating in the SAFE seat belt enforcement.  The SAFE Program focuses on increasing teen restraint compliance through education, positive rewards and enforcement. The enforcement of seat belt laws is shown to be the most effective way to encourage seat belt use which ultimately saves lives.  It is vital that adults, teens, and children understand that buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash and that airbags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them!  For more information regarding the SAFE Program, please visit the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office site.

THE REGISTER OF DEEDS

Hello!  I’m TerriLois Mashburn, your new Register of Deeds for Leavenworth County. As the Recording Office for Leavenworth County, part of my job is to make certain all land records are available for future generations.  Being able to read the names of the parties involved helps!

Kansas statutes govern how the Register of Deeds operates and we are required by those statutes to have a printed name under the signature line.  Printing the title (Vice President, Notary Public, Owner, etc.) and name under any signature gives clarity to future researchers.  We don’t like rejecting documents, so please bring a properly executed document, completely filled out when you need it recorded.
We are here to serve you.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

HEALTH DEPARTMENT COVID-19 RESPONSE

 Leavenworth County, Kansas, remains dedicated to our citizens and employees during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The health and safety of our community and workforce is our first priority. The Leavenworth County Health Department, Leavenworth County Emergency Management, Administration, and other departments are working together to monitor and respond to the evolving situation.

Leavenworth County is following Kansas State Vaccination Plan.  We are currently operating in Phase 2. 

Phase 2 includes people 65 years of age and older, individuals who live or work in a congregate setting, high-contact critical workers, and all vaccinated persons prioritized in previous phases.

The Health Department is scheduled to receive additional vaccines and will set up distribution for people in this category next week based on a list of people who have filled out a Vaccine Interest Form.

If you fall into the Phase 2 category and would like to fill out the Vaccine Interest Form.

We've been getting many questions about coronavirus vaccines. We've put together a list of common questions here.

THE TRANSFER STATION

Leavenworth County Solid Waste operates several programs at our Transfer Station.  Our facility is open to individuals and businesses, in and out of the county. 

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY ANNUAL CLEAN-UP OPPORTUNITY

Leavenworth County Residents (no businesses) are allowed one (1) FREE load per household per calendar year.  There is a two (2) ton limit.  Driver’s License or Valid Identification is required for proof of residency. 

Items Accepted:

• Standard Waste
• Construction and Demolition
• Residential Tire Disposal (Maximum of 5 Passenger Tires)
• White Goods (Appliances, Stoves, Washers, Dryers)
• Freon Units
• Tree and Brush (Clean items only, no trash can be mixed in)
• Yard Waste (Clean grass and leaves)
• E-Waste (Computers, Monitors, Cell Phones, VCRs)

All loads must be covered or you will be responsible for the tarp fee.

GIS DEPARTMENT

The Leavenworth County GIS Department has been diligently working to create and maintain the GIS segment of the newly released county website GIS Department.  Upon visiting the GIS tab, you will notice familiar material such as the integrity interactive web map and recently rolled out and updated features.  Under the direction of newly appointed GIS Supervisor Soma San, the department has created an in-house online web map for internal and public use. The department has also updated all data and even created new data from scratch that is available free of charge in shapefile format.  Specific maps such as parcel ownership or voting districts are also freely available in PDF format.  If the map or data is not obtainable through the site, the GIS team would be happy to create a custom map for you.

The GIS department works closely with the Appraiser’s Office and Register of deeds to ensure that parcel information is accurate and up to date.  In a calendar year, the GIS team added 324 address points, made 196 AgUse adjustments, and updated 126 parcels.  The GIS team also frequently works with the Planning & Zoning Department to run various reports and producing different data sets.  Tim Urban is a member of the GIS team and serves as the county’s engineering technician.  Tim works extensively with Public Works to create and maintain data sets, including snow plow routes, road surfaces, and accident reports.

Profiles:

Soma has been with the county since October 2020. She has a bachelor's degree in geology, a master's degree in geoscience from Paris/ France, and an interdisciplinary PhD in Geo-Engineering from the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC). Soma also has a graduate-level GIS certificate and the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Program certificate from UMKC. Currently a member of the Kansas Association of Mappers and American Geophysical Union.

Tim has been with Leavenworth County since July 2004. Has an Associate's Degree in AutoCAD, 15 years of GIS Experience, Member of Kansas Association of Mappers. Works extensively with the Public Works Department in such areas as Traffic Counts, Maintenance Data, Infrastructure, Utility Permits, Traffic Accident data, Right-of-way research, Snow Routes, and Archive Information.

Tyler began with Leavenworth County GIS in 2017. He has a bachelor's in Professional Meteorology from Ball State University in Indiana with a Broadcast Television background. Tyler has since been working with Kansas Mapping Association, ESRI, Mid-American Regional Council, and other organizations across KCMO to better Leavenworth County's GIS capabilities. He works closely with the cities and businesses in Leavenworth County to collaborate and improve the county's expanding GIS and mapping network. He enjoys unusual mapping and design projects in his spare time and is happy to contribute his time to create, explore, and analyze unique ideas for mapping.

Shane has been with the county since November 2019. Has a bachelor's degree in History with a minor in geography from Missouri Western State University. He is currently pursuing an MS in GIS from Northwest Missouri State University. Shane is a member of the Leavenworth County Development Corporation Trails Committee and works to keep parks and recreation data up to date.

TREASURER'S OFFICE

Important Reminders from the Treasurer:

• A reminder that the second half of taxes is due for those who paid only the first half in December.
• March is renewal month for the letter “B” on the motor vehicle side and April is renewal month for the letters C&D.  Anyone can renew their registrations up to 60 days in advance of their renewal dates.

PUBLIC WORKS

In 2015, Leavenworth County residents voted to approve a 1% Retail Sales Tax extension. Revenue was to be allocated to roadway improvements throughout the county, and to specifically include the paving of two miles of McIntyre Road and four miles of 147^th Street along with 1.6 miles of widening along Eisenhower Road.

In December, King’s Construction began construction the on the Eisenhower Road Improvement project, a 4-lane roadway with curb and gutter, a 10-ft sidewalk along the northern side and a traffic signal at the intersection of 20^th Street.  Since December, King’s Construction has completed a majority of the waterline relocation for Rural Water District #8 that runs along the southern side of the roadway and has begun grading and construction of storm sewer structures. 

Construction is scheduled to be completed no later than December 31, 2021. At which time, Leavenworth County will hand off future maintenance responsibilities of Eisenhower east of Tonganoxie Road (County Route 5) to the City of Leavenworth. Once completed, the cost for the Eisenhower Road Improvement will total approximately $8.2 Million. 

PLANNING AND ZONING

Building Season is upon us!

A building permit is required for all structures - residential, accessory, or commercial, within the unincorporated areas of Leavenworth County. Structures smaller than 100 square feet are not regulated.

Traditional building permit applications can be found in the document center or can obtained in-person from our office. Completed application packets can be submitted in-person, emailed to us at PZ@LeavenworthCounty.gov, or submitted through our new Building Permit Online Application.