Routt County commissioners voted to appoint Linnea, the deputy county attorney, to the permanent county attorney position after a brief discussion and a motion during a regular meeting.

The move followed commissioners' remarks expressing confidence in Linnea's qualifications and the legal office's needs. A commissioner moved to appoint Linnea to the county attorney role; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. County staff said an email would go to human resources to transition Linnea from interim to permanent status and that her compensation has already been adjusted within the county's existing pay model.

Commissioners emphasized continuity and internal experience as reasons for supporting the appointment. "We are very lucky to have someone not only qualified, but who, I think we all believe is the best person for the job, whether she was internal or external," said one commissioner.

Jay Harrington, a county staff member present at the meeting, told the board: "The email's going off to HR to move from interim to permanent position. And, we've already adjusted, Linnea's compensation to be within our current model, and that's in in place already." The board also discussed the need for additional legal support and encouraged Linnea and others to develop job descriptions or identify outside contractors for specialized matters.

Commissioners asked staff to continue submitting contracts to the board when outside legal services are proposed. One commissioner recalled a recent meeting with the sheriff and department heads that helped clarify issues facing the county's legal and public-safety work.

The board asked that Commissioner Macy and Linnea provide a one-sentence quote to Amanda, a county staff member handling communications, so the county can issue a brief press release. There was no recorded roll-call vote; the motion passed by voice vote and no further formal action was noted during the meeting.

Next steps described at the meeting include HR processing the personnel change and county legal staff and commissioners working together to scope additional hires or contracted services for specialized legal needs.