Douglas County commission candidates focus on affordability, trust and data centers

Douglas County commission candidates faced voters at a Lawrence Chamber of Commerce forum at KU Innovation Park, 2033 Becker Drive, where affordability, trust in government and data center development drove the conversation. All candidates for the county’s three open commission seats attended except District 4 Democrat Ethan Spurling.

The races are set for an Aug. 4 primary and a Nov. 3 general election. District 1 incumbent Patrick Kelly will face Democrat Milton Scott in the primary, District 4 incumbent Gene Dorsey will face Spurling in the primary, and District 5 incumbent Erica Anderson will face Libertarian Kirsten Kuhn in the general election. District 2 and District 3, held by Shannon Reid and Karen Willey, are not on the ballot again until 2028.

Kelly centered his remarks on the cost of living, saying it has become really expensive to live in Douglas County and that county leaders need to make it easier for people to stay. He pointed to efforts already underway to divert some 911 calls away from costly emergency services when those calls do not need that level of response, and said the county has to balance pressure on residents with the services it provides.

Anderson placed more emphasis on trust and coordination, saying the county needs to improve how it works with other elected bodies and community partners. Douglas County approved a 2026 budget of about $202.6 million, set the mill levy at 40.669 mills, and said the rate was down 0.629 mills from the prior year, the fourth straight annual reduction. Property taxes account for 75% of county revenues. In the county’s 2024 levy example, a sample $200,000 home in Lawrence would face a total tax bill of $2,778.47, including county, city, school and state taxing units.

Residential real-estate values in Douglas County rose at a median rate of 7% from 2023 to 2024. Douglas County’s A Place for Everyone housing plan sets a goal of functional zero in homelessness by 2028 and says more affordable and permanent affordable housing is needed. The county and the City of Lawrence launched a homelessness dashboard in May 2025, and commissioners approved a limited Tenant Eviction Defense pilot in March 2026 using $40,000 already set aside in the budget.

Commissioners held their first public discussion of possible rules for data centers and battery-energy-storage systems in May 2026, and residents have urged a moratorium or ban over concerns about water use, energy use, noise and higher utility bills.