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 board approved a change in juvenile-appointed counsel structure, moving from five contract attorneys to four and increasing each contract to $40,000 for the calendar year to reflect a heavier caseload after one attorney resigned. The named juvenile counsel were Paula Cholalla, Larry Contreary, Eugene Tempesta and Elizabeth Rivett. The board also approved contracts with five rotating criminal-conflict attorneys (excluding murder cases) — Robert Barletta, John Bonjivango, Michael Warner, Joseph Carney and Kevin Lorella — at $28,000 each for the calendar year; court administration said these contracts are used when the public defender’s office has a conflict.

Mary Kelly, director of the Domestic Relations Office, presented a proposed contract for off-site document destruction. Kelly said she sought a new vendor because prior billing and service from the incumbent had been inconsistent; she recommended Shred America, a company she described as veteran-oriented, and the resolution sets a contract period beginning Jan. 2, 2025 and running through Jan. 30, 2027. Commissioners confirmed the contract falls below the county’s sealed-bid threshold and said multiple quotes had been obtained.

The board also approved a short-term independent-contractor arrangement to have retired tax-claim director Artisha Foster assist the office during the transition after hiring former commissioner Brian Gurey as the new tax-claim director. The contract sets Foster’s pay at $40 per hour with a maximum annual cap of $12,000 to help prepare for the spring tax sale.

Finally, commissioners accepted a recommendation from the Lawrence County Opioid Advisory Board — chaired by county administrator Joe Venasco — to earmark $100,000 in opioid-settlement funds to support the Lawrence County DUI Services program. Venasco and others said the DUI program’s caseload increasingly involves drug-related offenses and that program revenues have declined compared with past alcohol-only cases; the opioid funds were described as non-tax settlement dollars and intended to preserve ongoing services.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 1 (truancy counsel): Approve contract with attorney Susan Pape at $85/hour. Vote: Sonata, Kennedy, Vogler — Yes; Outcome: approved. - Resolution 2 (juvenile counsel): Approve four juvenile counsel contracts (Paula Cholalla; Larry Contreary; Eugene Tempesta; Elizabeth Rivett) at $40,000 each for calendar year. Vote: Sonata, Kennedy, Vogler — Yes; Outcome: approved. - Resolution 3 (criminal conflict counsel): Approve five rotating criminal-conflict counsel contracts (Robert Barletta; John Bonjivango; Michael Warner; Joseph Carney; Kevin Lorella) at $28,000 each for calendar year; murder cases excluded. Vote: Sonata, Kennedy, Vogler — Yes; Outcome: approved. - Resolution 4 (custody master counsel): Approve contract with attorney Deborah Shaw at $85/hour. Vote: Sonata, Kennedy, Vogler — Yes; Outcome: approved. - Resolution 5 (domestic relations shredding): Approve contract with Shred America for document destruction, term listed Jan. 2, 2025–Jan. 30, 2027 (contract period described in resolution). Vote: Sonata, Kennedy, Vogler — Yes; Outcome: approved. - Resolution 6 (tax-claim transition): Approve short-term independent-contractor arrangement with retired director Artisha Foster at $40/hour, cap $12,000 annually, to assist new tax-claim director Brian Gurey during transition. Vote: Sonata, Kennedy, Vogler — Yes; Outcome: approved. - Resolution 7 (opioid advisory board recommendation): Accept opioid advisory board recommendation to earmark $100,000 in opioid-settlement funds for Lawrence County DUI Services. Vote: Sonata, Kennedy, Vogler — Yes; Outcome: approved.

Why it matters: The approved contracts set compensation and operating parameters for several court-appointed services and county operations; changes in juvenile counsel staffing and the opioid-funded support for DUI Services respond to caseload patterns described by court and program officials. The temporary tax-claim arrangement is intended to transfer institutional knowledge ahead of the spring tax sale.

What’s next: Several contracts are annual and will return for renewal or review next year; the opioid advisory board will continue to meet publicly to consider further allocations.