October 2021 Leavenworth County Newsletter
The Board of County Commissioners serves as the Chief Legislative and Executive Branch of the County Government. Composed of five members, the Board is elected to staggered four year terms. Each Commissioner represents 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
The Board of County Commissioners regular meetings are held in the County Courthouse at 300 Walnut Street; Regular meetings are held each week on Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. Meetings are live streamed on the County's YouTube channel.
Daniel Abramovitz
Sarah Flaherty
October 30th will mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Detective Corporal Daniel R. Abramovitz, who was killed in the line of duty. Dan had faithfully served Leavenworth County for 26 years in a variety of assignments: jail deputy, patrol deputy, traffic unit and reconstructionist, member of the tactical team, member of the bomb team, caretaker of the mobile command vehicle, EVOC instructor, and most recently as a detective.It was in this last assignment that Dan shined the brightest and perhaps had the greatest impact on those victimized as his caseload predominately focused upon sex crimes, especially those involving children.
Investigations of this nature tend to affect the case deputy as they build close relationships with the victims and their families and are exposed to the heinous details of the criminal act. Dan was always committed to fighting for the victims and bringing the truth forward. To be successful, relationships with the victims are important, but so too are relationships with other law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, DCF, CASA, and the CAC (Children's Advocacy Center), where forensic interviews are conducted. Dan was well-known and respected in this circle.
To honor the memory of Dan and the work he performed on behalf of Leavenworth County, Detective Corporal Sarah Flaherty organized a memorial ride which was held on September 25, 2021. Flaherty was Dan's office partner and had been tutored regarding this case load as Dan was preparing to retire. Although many years separated their ages, both detectives grew close and took on a familial relationship as one trained the other.
The memorial ride was a success with over 100 participants and raising $5,837. This money has been donated to CASA House in order to help defray expenses. Flaherty remarked, "Detective Corporal Dan Abramovitz's work with CASA House, particularly the CAC, was instrumental in helping children victims and families alike. Even after his untimely passing, Detective Corporal Abramovitz is still making a significant impact on families in the community. The funds raised through his memorial ride will assist the CAC in purchasing critical equipment for their facilities that serve seven law enforcement agencies with children investigations. Detective Abramovitz's memory is carried on in his work, his family, and the relationships built within the Leavenworth community he served".
While Dan's death had an impact on many people, we choose to celebrate the life he lived and reflect on those he helped.
Ballot boxes are open...it's election season in Leavenworth County!
This election is a local election, which means city, school district, water district offices are on the ballot. You can review your sample ballot here.
Upcoming Election Dates:
October 26 Last day to request advance ballot
November 1 Noon deadline to vote advance voting ballot in person in the County Election Office
November 2 GENERAL ELECTION
November 3 Voter registration books reopen
Saturday, October 23rd, the Leavenworth Sheriff Office will join other law enforcement agencies to participate in the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
The Department of Community Corrections is responsible for the intervention, supervision and monitoring of adult and youth offenders on probation in Leavenworth County. The department is currently composed of two divisions: Adult Services and Juvenile Services. Working in partnerships with local treatment counselors, service providers, community based resources, the Courts, Law Enforcement, and the Kansas Department of Corrections, we provide a viable and cost-effective alternative to incarceration for offenders in our community.
Mission Statement
To provide evidence-based supervision which promotes public safety, offender accountability, and improves their ability to live productively and lawfully in our community.
Health Department and Emergency Medical Services
Flu Shot Clinic 
The Health Department has flu shots available. Flu shots are offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between 8 AM - 4 PM. No appointment is necessary. It is on a walk-in basis. There is a mask requirement to enter the Health Department, as it is a medical facility. Most insurances are accepted. Contact the Health Department for more information at 913-250-2000.
Upcoming Leavenworth County Health Department Vaccination Clinic Information
Next Clinic: Thursday, October 14th, from 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Leavenworth County Health Department, 500 Eisenhower, Leavenworth, KS.
• This is a walk-in clinic. No appointments are necessary. No residency requirement.
• We offer the Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer vaccines.
• The Pfizer Vaccine is available to anyone 12-years and older. Parents or legal guardians will need to sign for minors receiving the vaccine.
• A third dose of Moderna and Pfizer vaccine to people who have a moderately or severely weakened immune system. Third doses should be given at least 28 days after completion of the two-dose series.
• Booster shots of the Pfizer vaccines are available for those 65 years of age and older and individuals 50-64 years of age with underlying medical conditions that make them at risk for severe COVID-19.
INFORMATION ON BOOSTERS
The Leavenworth County Health Department will offer booster vaccines during weekly vaccine clinics. At this time, only Pfizer is approved for boosters. Boosters should be administered at least six months after the second dose.
2021 Medicare Open Enrollment
October 15th - December 7th
We can help:
- Research and enroll in new Prescription Drug Plans (Part D) or other prescription drug plans
- Switch plans between Original Medicare (Part A) and Medicare Advantage and vice versa
- Research Supplemental Plans such as Medigap under Original Medicare
- Change coverage between Medicare Advantage Plans
Call or email today to make a telephone or in-person appointment to visit with one of our Senior Health Insurance Counselors of Kansas (SHICK)
Council on Aging: 913.684.0777
Email: seniors1st@leavenworthcounty.gov
County Treasurer's Office
October vehicle renewals are for the letter S.
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Taxpayers may renew up to 60 days in advance of their renewal deadline.
- Drivers License has now reopened at the Annex for renewals only and by appointment only, Tuesday through Friday. Please call the Annex at 364-5730 for an appointment.
For more information about registering your vehicle, visit this section of our website: Renewing Your License Plate.
Here is the link to public notifications for our November 10, 2021, Planning Commission Meeting.
NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OFFICE
ROD Continuing Education - KS Society of Land Surveyors
TerriLois Mashburn, Register of Deeds, attended the Kansas Society of Land Surveyors Conference in Dodge City, KS, on Friday, October 8th, for Continuing Education on Minimum Standards, Survey Records, and Survey Review. There was an hour in the morning to take in the wild west, too!
ROD Staff Celebrated - They Successfully Indexed Over 15,000 Documents!
Register of Deeds staff was treated to steaks at the Metropolitan Steakhouse by TerriLois for a job well done.Back indexing allows online searching of older documents, rather than having to come into the office to search by microfilm.
In only seven months, Sean Hicks, Susan Draftz, and Cindy O’Toole have not only completed daily recordings and customer service for phone calls and walk-ins but added 15,000 available documents for public searches.
Ken Armstrong of Armstrong Document Retrieval, LLC said, "I wanted to let you know that the documents you have added to the system have really started to make my job a lot easier, good job!"
Two Fall Festivals!
Register of Deeds staff operated two different booths on Saturday morning, October 9th, Basehor Fall Fest and Lansing Days at the Angel Falls walking trail. At the festivals, dozens of landowners signed up for the free. Property Fraud Alert notification to protect themselves from title theft.
Please call our office at 913.684.0424 to sign up or ask questions if you want more information.
Basehor Linwood High School Student Guests
Seventeen students from Mrs. Breault's class visited the Leavenworth County Courthouse on October 12th to learn about the history of a parcel of land donated by Paul & Kathryn Gorup to the City of Basehor. Her class is researching and planning a park project on this parcel.
Students first visited the Register of Deeds office to learn about looking up easements and deed history online and microfilm research. They then watched a PowerPoint presentation in the basement conference room presented by Tyler Wehr of the GIS Department. He taught them how to research soil types, topography, flood plains, a drainage ditch, and other online resources to help in their land project. 
Tyler Wehr, GIS Department and TerriLois Mashburn, Register of Deeds, show plats to students.
Leavenworth County has hired two attorneys. Ashley Hutton and David Melton.
A lifelong Kansas resident, Ashley Hutton, is a Washburn University and Washburn School of Law graduate. She practiced civil and family law for two years with Kansas Legal Services, after which she served as an assistant district attorney for seven years in Wyandotte County, specializing in Child in Need of Care. Ms. Hutton was also a staff attorney for Cornerstones of Care for almost two years before coming back to prosecution with the Leavenworth County Attorney’s Office. Ms. Hutton handles the Child in Need of Care cases as well as Care and Treatment in the Leavenworth County Attorney’s office.
David Melton was born and raised in Shawnee, Kansas. David attended the University of Kansas, receiving a bachelor’s degree in English. Following college, David was a police officer with the City of Merriam. Following his service as a police officer, David attended law school at the University of Kansas. While in law school, he interned in the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office.
Upon graduation from law school, David 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, David 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 at Leavenworth County, David served on the board of the Alliance Against Family Violence. David left Leavenworth to become the Chief Assistant Douglas County Attorney. David has also worked for the KBI prior to returning to Leavenworth County.
Public Works
Every year Leavenworth County offers a hard-pave dust control option for those that live on gravel roads that do not appear on the County’s current improvement plan. For the 2021 season, Leavenworth County crews completed six different the chip & seal installations, paving just over a mile on portions of Knapp Drive, Marion Lane, Ft. Riley Road, 150th Street, Loring Road, and Cantrell Road.
The County is always hard at work, maintaining roadways in current conditions and planning for improvements in the future. While the option to pave every roadway is not available to us as this time, we understand that many residents experience frustrations with gravel and dust. The Dust Control program creates the availability for residents to purchase chip & seal either along only the front of their property or along their entire roadway and, in some cases, the county will take on future maintenance of that hard surface. The 2022 program has not yet been approved but we anticipate that occurring in the next few weeks. For any additional information, please contact Public Works at (913) 684-0470. If you’d like to know if your roadway is currently on the improvement plan, please visit the Public Works Project Status Updates page on the Leavenworth County website found at Project Status Updates.
