Lawrence County commissioners approve multiple court contracts, vendor agreements and staffing transition; opioid funds earmarked for DUI services

Lawrence County commissioners unanimously approved seven resolutions during their Jan. 7 meeting to renew or establish contracts for court-appointed counsel, vendor services and short-term staffing support, and accepted a recommendation to direct $100,000 in opioid-settlement funds to the county DUI Services program.

The actions, taken by roll-call votes, included yearly renewals of contracts for truancy counsel and custody-master counsel, multi-attorney contracts for juvenile and criminal appointed counsel, a domestic-relations shredding services contract, a short-term independent-contractor arrangement to assist the tax-claim office, and the allocation of opioid trust funds to support DUI Services. The board discussed compensation levels, contract periods and workload distribution during brief presentations by court administrators and department directors.

Commissioner Sonata, Commissioner Kennedy and Commissioner Vogler voted yes on each resolution. The board’s president judge, Jay Craig Cox, and court administrator Amy Camuccio described the court-related contracts as renewals or continuations of existing arrangements intended to ensure counsel coverage and to address increased caseloads where applicable. Camuccio said the proposed truancy counsel contract would continue at $85 per hour with attorney Susan Pape; the custody-master contract with Deborah Shaw would also continue at $85 per hour.

The boar…