Douglas County is seeking to hear from residents about whether they would like to see the County Commission expand from three members to five. The county has
The Douglas County Courthouse and downtown Lawrence are pictured in an aerial photo Saturday, July 13, 2019.
Douglas County leaders are open to increasing the number of seats on the County Commission, and will soon develop a plan to gather public feedback on such a change before potentially taking further action.
As part of its meeting Wednesday, the commission discussed increasing the number of seats from three to five, which would require holding a public election. The issue came to the commission following some public concern about whether rural residents are adequately represented in county government, but Commission Chair Shannon Portillo said that to her, the issue spoke to broader questions about representation.