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Ulster County approves $50,000 to secure outside counsel for county clerk in out‑of‑state litigation
Summary
The committee voted 5-3 to appropriate $50,000 from contingency to retain outside civil‑rights counsel to represent the county clerk in an Article 78 proceeding and related litigation; debate centered on whether the county attorney should handle the matter, procurement process, and whether discussion required executive session.
Ulster County’s Laws, Rules and Government Services Committee voted 5-3 on Aug. 14 to appropriate $50,000 from the contingency fund to retain outside civil‑rights counsel to represent the county clerk in pending litigation.
The money was allocated by passage of Resolution 3-75, which the committee described as funding to “hire a defense attorney with civil rights experience” for the county clerk’s office. Committee members debated whether the County Attorney’s Office should handle the case or whether specialized outside counsel was necessary.
The committee heard an explanation from County Clerk Brock, who described the underlying legal issue and why he believed county resources were constrained. “The shield law was very specific. It said that no government employee shall comply with any out‑of‑state litigation, civil or criminal, regarding a health care service rendered in New York state…
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