Page County extends interim county attorney contract, will interview three applicants

The Page County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to extend the interim county attorney’s contract for 30 days and to interview three applicants for the county attorney position.

James L. Varley, who has been serving as interim county attorney, submitted a written application asking to be appointed to the position. Varley told the board he was willing to accommodate an interview schedule and suggested extending his interim status to allow the board time to interview other applicants: “If you want more time to do interviews, we could extend my interim status another 30 days,” Varley said. He also said he would request a salary increase during any extension because, he said, he would be performing both attorney and assistant duties until an assistant is hired.

The board’s motion — moved by Todd (board member) and seconded by Aaron (board member) — instructed staff to schedule Zoom interviews with the three applicants, extend Varley’s interim contract through April 30 and temporarily raise the salary rate for that interim period to the $118,000 annual rate budgeted to begin July 1. The motion included a stipulation that the temporary wage would be reduced if an assistant attorney were hired before July 1. The board recorded a unanimous vote in favor.

The move follows Varley’s written request to be appointed; his letter, dated March 13, said he has more than 30 years of criminal law experience and nine-and-a-half years in a county attorney’s office. Varley said, if appointed, he would hire an assistant county attorney and retain existing legal secretaries, and would work closely with the county’s three law-enforcement agencies.

Board members discussed administrative details for the interim extension and pay. The county has not paid for an assistant county attorney since early January, and board discussion noted roughly $34,000 currently remains in the assistant budget. Varley said the pay request was intended to “bridge the delta” between the current budgeted salary and the higher rate in the coming fiscal year and that he would avoid any action that required a supplemental appropriation.

The board also agreed that the person the board ultimately appoints as county attorney would be responsible for hiring the assistant county attorney. Board members asked staff to contact the other applicants and schedule interviews, likely by Zoom to accommodate applicants from out of town.

The board asked Varley to provide a draft interim contract and said they would finalize the extension at the next meeting. The board recorded the vote as “Aye, Aye, Aye,” and the chair confirmed a unanimous vote.

Varley’s application and the board’s motion do not finalize a permanent appointment; the motion sets only interviews and a 30-day interim extension with pay conditions. The board instructed staff to return with the written interim contract for signature.