National County Government Month - April 2021

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝑨𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 220 𝑺. 𝑩𝒆𝒆𝒄𝒉 𝑺𝒕., 𝑺𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑩 | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

The goal of the Franklin County, KS - Attorney's Office is to promote and ensure public safety – this is done by holding those who violate the law, accountable for their actions, as well as by helping victims of crimes, obtain justice through the criminal justice system. The Attorney’s office also attempts to help rehabilitate those who violate the law through treatment and services. The County Attorney is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer. His office employs nine full-time and one part-time staff members, including; attorneys, trial assistants, a discovery clerk and an office manager.

Franklin County appreciates the County Attorney and his employees for the pivotal role they play in keeping our public safe!

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑱𝒖𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 226 𝑺. 𝑩𝒆𝒆𝒄𝒉 𝑺𝒕. | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

The Department of Juvenile Services provides four different services for the County.

•Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center – a secure facility used for the lawful custody of up to 14 juveniles from ages 10 to 17. Most juveniles held at this facility are accused or adjudicated offenders pending court disposition or placement in an appropriate facility. Juveniles may also be placed in detention as a sanction for violating the terms of their probation. 

•Day School Program – an educational program for adjudicated offenders that require more intensive supervision during the day. The program was established to facilitate academic and behavioral success within a highly structured setting, while reducing the need for placement in a detention center or other out of home location. Day school is court ordered and students’ progress is monitored with the intention of re-integrating them back into their original school setting.

•Outreach Program – provides assistance to students and families attending schools in Franklin County. Students are referred to this program based on lack of attendance at school and/or behavior related problems that the student may be experiencing.

•4th Judicial District Intake and Assessment – provides assessment and crisis counseling services to all youth coming in contact with law enforcement and makes recommendations considering the safety of the child and the community.

Franklin County Juvenile Services staff strive to prepare our youth for positive, successful lives by developing self-discipline and self-esteem. Thanks to this staff for their dedication to the youth of Franklin County!

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑹𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 315 𝑺. 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒎 103 | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

The Register of Deeds Office maintains and preserves accurate real estate records for Franklin County and is an overall information center for questions related to real estate. The employees of this office file all documents associated with the following:

• Real Estate

• Deeds

• Mortgages

• Releases

• Easements

• Oil & gas leases/assignments

• County & City ordinances/resolutions

• UCC documents – which includes State & Federal tax liens, Power of Attorneys, Affidavits of Death & Death Certificates.

• All surveys and plats for Cities and the County

The Register of Deeds office is constantly supplying other County departments as well as outside organizations and individuals with the records they need. They transfer all deeds to the County Appraiser and the County Clerk to update ownership and addresses for the tax roll and provide deeds, surveys and plats to the Planning and Zoning department for their records. This office assists Attorney’s, Surveyors, and Title Researchers with requests for copies of numerous documents. They assist genealogists in family research of real estate ownership within the County. 

Thank you to the hard-working ladies in the Register of Deeds office. The current real estate market has kept them very busy. We are very grateful for all they do. 

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝑽𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 315 𝑺. 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏 | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

The Motor Vehicle Department is a part of the Franklin County Treasurer’s Office. This department is contracted by the State of Kansas to issue Kansas Vehicle Registrations and conduct background work to ensure citizens receive their license plates and titles. Not only does this office complete all records in regards to vehicle registrations, they also record and release vehicle liens, order temporary, personalized and specialty plates, as well as handicap placards. 

Unlike in some other counties, the Franklin County Motor Vehicle Department does not issue driver’s licenses. Our community has a State of Kansas Driver’s License Office located in Ottawa. 

The employees of the Motor Vehicle Department are required to undergo training by the State of Kansas, including additional training for Commercial Vehicle registrations. Thank you to these ladies for their eagerness to help Franklin County citizens with all their vehicle registration needs!

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 315 𝑺. 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒎 107 | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

Many people are familiar with the Treasurer’s Office being the place where they pay their Real Estate and Personal Property taxes in December and May. However, the Treasurer’s Office is responsible for many other duties for the County, including but not limited to balancing all the County’s checking accounts and reconciling those with the County Clerks Office, taking care of all the receivables for many county departments, as well as tracking incoming tax funds and distributing those to the cities, schools, townships, fire departments, cemeteries, etc. as necessary. 

Franklin County is thankful for the ladies in the Treasurer’s office and all they do for the entire organization!

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑬𝑴𝑺 – 𝑬𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 1 | 219 𝑬. 14𝒕𝒉 𝑺𝒕. | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 2 | 730 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒕. | 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆, 𝑲𝑺 66092

𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 3 | 720 𝑾. 2𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒕. | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

The Franklin County EMS department is staffed by 32 full and part-time, trained professionals. Their staff includes:

These individuals respond to 911 calls and treat/transport person in crisis health situations. You can find them providing medical stand-by at a variety of local events – High School and College football games, the Franklin County Fair, River-Run Car show, Tractor show, etc. The department provides public education, including CPR and first aid trainings, Stepping On and Stop the Bleed. They love to host unit tours for schools, churches, and civic organizations. 

Franklin County citizens are lucky to have one of the best EMS programs in the State of Kansas.  They provide a nationally recognized Stroke program and have received multiple awards from the American Heart Association for the Stroke and STEMI care they have provided to patients. We are very thankful for these individuals when we need them and proud to call them ours. Thank you, Franklin County EMS, for providing our County with excellent service.

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 315 𝑺. 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒕. | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

The Franklin County Appraiser’s office employs 5 full-time and 2 part-time individuals. Their main responsibility is to locate, identify, list, classify, and appraise all real estate, personal property and oil & gas reserves located in Franklin County.

Did you know, there are 14,527 individual real estate parcels in Franklin County that consist of approximately 6,500 residences, 2,300 farms, and 650 businesses. The remainder consists mainly of vacant, agricultural, or exempt properties. Thank you, Franklin County Appraiser’s office, for your hard work!

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑬𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 305 𝑺. 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒕. | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

The

Franklin County Emergency Communications Center

, also known as 911 or dispatch, employees 13 full and part-time employees. These employees answer 9-1-1 calls, provide dispatch support for three law enforcement agencies, nine fire departments and an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) agency. They also assist the public with non-emergent calls 24/7. Dispatchers are responsible for providing life-saving instructions for callers and must remain calm in critical situations until help arrives. On any given day, they communicate with callers about everything from lost dogs to burglaries in progress, even child birth. 

Dispatchers are the lifeline for first responders in the field and have just been re-classified as first responders themselves. This is a huge accomplishment for emergency dispatchers. Franklin County is so lucky to have one of the best Emergency Communications Centers in the State, proven by their many recognitions and most recently becoming an Accredited Center of Excellence – recognized by the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch. 

This week, April 11th -17th, also happens to be National Public-Safety Telecommunicators Week. Thank you so much to these wonderful public servants who so calmly take care of our public behind the scenes in every emergent (and non-emergent) situation.

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 1418 𝑺. 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝑺𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆. 1 | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

The week of April 5 – 11 is National Public Health week, making today a great day to recognize the

Franklin County Health Department

. This department works tirelessly to promote the health and well-being of our population. Their efforts lead to the prevention of disease and reduction of injury, disability and premature death. Although the Health Department is currently most well-known for their efforts in the COVID-19 response, they provide a plethora of other services, including:

•Health assessments and screenings: hemoglobin, rapid lipids, glucose, Kan-Be-Healthy and blood pressure

•Communicable disease investigations

•Men’s and women’s health: family planning, STD testing and treatment, pregnancy testing, and contraceptives

•Immunizations

•WIC (Women’s, Infants, and Children) Supplemental Nutrition Education Program 

•Resource referrals 

•Educational programs

•Home environmental referrals

In addition, the Health Department works with several community partners at the local and state level to help identify and control disease.

The Franklin County Health Department employs 8 full-time regular employees and currently employs 4 temporary employees due to COVID-19. These hard-working individuals have played a vital role and have worked countless over-time hours over the last year to help with case investigations, testing, mitigation and now the prevention of COVID-19 through vaccine administration. Thank you so much Franklin County Health Department team!

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 1418 𝑺. 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝑺𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆. 3 | 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

Franklin County is the host County for the Fourth Judicial District Community Corrections program, which provides an intensive supervision program for adult and juvenile probationers in Franklin, Anderson, Coffey, and Osage Counties. The Community Corrections department is guided by a local advisory board of community stakeholders and must adhere to standards set forth by the Kansas Department of Corrections. 

The Community Corrections department has a nine-person staff that strive to take the utmost care of their clients. Their mission is to connect their clients with community resources through collaboration, education and engagement. It is their vision to be a community invested in client success. 

The employees of the Community Corrections department are essentially responsible for conducting a risk/need assessment for each individual, monitoring their progress and assisting them in reaching their goals. Thank you Community Corrections for your commitment to serving our public in the Fourth Judicial District. 

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔 – 𝑵𝒐𝒙𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒅

(The Public Works Department is comprised of 3 divisions – Road and Bridge, Solid Waste, and Noxious Weed with a total of 45 employees.)

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 – 1428 𝑺. 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝑺𝒕𝒆 5.

𝑵𝒐𝒙𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒅 – 2017 𝑺. 𝑬𝒍𝒎 𝑺𝒕., 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

The Noxious Weed division of Public Works is responsible for the control of noxious weeds in Franklin County. This staff assists landowners in implementing approved control methods. The department also sells approved chemicals and rents chemical spray units to area citizens for spraying their properties. Lastly, they are responsible for spraying and controlling noxious weed growth along the 2,000+ miles of right-of-way on County roads.

An interesting fact about the Noxious Weed department is that all of their spray trucks are outfitted with snow plows for the winter months. These employees help the snow clearing efforts in County owned parking lots and in rural subdivisions. 

Thanks and appreciation to our Noxious Weed employees, who continuously work hard to keep our County free of Noxious Weed overgrowth.

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕: 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔 – 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅 𝑾𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆 

(The Public Works Department is comprised of 3 divisions – Road and Bridge, Solid Waste, and Noxious Weed with a total of 45 employees.)

𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 – 1428 𝑺. 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝑺𝒕𝒆 5.

𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 | 𝑪&𝑫 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍 – 3323 𝑶𝒔𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆, 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒚𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 – 2017 𝑺. 𝑬𝒍𝒎 𝑺𝒕., 𝑶𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑲𝑺 66067

The Solid Waste Division of Public Works is responsible for the Construction and Demolition (C&D) landfill, the Transfer Station, the Recycling Center, and Household Hazardous Waste. 

The C&D landfill accepts construction related material that is compacted and buried in our permitted landfill. The Transfer Station accepts municipal solid waste from both the public and numerous trash hauling companies – example: items normally placed in the garbage can as well as larger furniture type items. The C&D Landfill and the Transfer Station accepted over 49,000 tons of material in 2020, which is an increase of almost 11 tons from 2019. Interestingly, the C&D Landfill will reach capacity within the next ten years.

The Recycling Center accepts cardboard, glass, aluminum cans, newspaper, magazines, and plastics. Volumes of recycled material were down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Household Hazardous Waste facility accepts oil, oil-based paint, and other household chemicals for disposal. 

The employees of these facilities are behind the scenes without much recognition. Could you image our world without services like landfills and other accommodations for disposing of unwanted or used materials? Thank you, Solid Waste, for your services to the Franklin County public!

The Road and Bridge Division is responsible for the repair and maintenance of over 900 miles of gravel roads, over 200 miles of paved roads, 236 bridges, approximately 18,000 signs and thousands of box culverts, cross road tubes, and entrance tubes. The Road and Bridge division is also responsible for mowing over 2,000 miles of right-of-way ditches, along with performing maintenance on the ditches. Each of the nine motor graders are responsible for maintaining 80 to 100 miles of gravel roads. 

These men and women work hard everyday in every weather condition. They spend nights and weekends away from their families when necessary, to keep the County roadways as safe as possible. Thank you, Road and Bridge Division, your hard work does not go unnoticed! 

Location: 1428 S. Main, Ste. #2 - Franklin County Annex

Becoming an employee for Franklin County begins with the Human Resources Department. Franklin County’s HR department has 4 wonderful employees. These ladies have oversight of a plethora of areas – including but not limited to: recruiting, benefits, compensation, risk management, employee recognition, employee policies, training, etc.  They are dedicated to the success of each employee and are always willing and happy to help with a smile on their faces.