Commission committee reads resolution to formalize Hamilton County Attorney's Office structure

A legal‑committee member read Resolution 6‑25‑19 on June 25, proposing a formal organizational structure for the Hamilton County Attorney's Office, including appointment procedure, staff positions, rules about outside practice and use of outside counsel, and an effective date of July 2025.

The resolution text read to the commission states that "the county attorney shall be appointed by the county mayor and confirmed with a majority vote by the board of commissioners and shall serve as the chief legal officer for Hamilton County." The reading also set out staffing and administrative procedures: salaries for the county attorney would be set by the Board of Commissioners; the county attorney, in consultation with the mayor and finance, would set salaries for the office's employees; and all office salaries and expenditures would be presented within the county's yearly budget.

Major provisions and clarifications - Office structure and positions: the resolution lists positions the county attorney's office "shall include" subject to budgetary modification—1 county attorney, 1 deputy county attorney, 2 staff attorneys, 1 legal administrative services manager and 2 paralegals. - Outside practice: the resolution would bar the county attorney and staff attorneys from engaging in outside county government legal practice; staff testimony clarified the intent is that county attorneys work for the county and not conduct private outside legal work. - Outside counsel: the county attorney may retain outside counsel when necessary (for conflicts of interest, specialized expertise, or matters covered by the county's liability plan), but must consult with the Board of Commissioners, the County Mayor and finance prior to retention. - Termination: the resolution sets termination thresholds—the county attorney may be terminated by a two‑thirds vote of the board without concurrence of the mayor, or by a majority vote with mayoral concurrence; both paths require 90 days' written notice. - Effective date: the resolution says it would take effect in July 2025 "the public welfare requiring it."

Committee discussion Committee members clarified that the restriction on outside practice was intended to prevent private practice by county attorneys while preserving the county attorney's authority to bring in outside experts or retired attorneys with institutional knowledge when needed. One speaker said: "There'll be no more outside work. It'll be all within the county government, but she needs the ability...to bring in professionals" for specialized matters. Committee members thanked staff for preparing the draft and noted the future county attorney and current county attorney had worked on the language.

Next steps The committee completed its review and planned to carry the item forward for consideration on the full commission agenda; no final vote was recorded during the committee reading. Committee members said the future county attorney will be available to answer questions before the matter returns.

Quotes "The Hamilton County Attorney's Office shall be organized as follows...the county attorney shall be appointed by the county mayor and confirmed with a majority vote by the board of commissioners and shall serve as the chief legal officer for Hamilton County," the committee member read aloud from the resolution.

"There'll be no more outside work...but she needs the ability...to bring in professionals," a committee member said while clarifying the role of outside counsel.

Ending The resolution will return to the commission for formal consideration and possible adoption; staff said the county attorney and committee members will be available to answer any remaining questions before the commission vote.