Graham County Board approves short-term legal contract, multiple rezones, right-of-way acceptances and inmate hospitalization agreement

The Graham County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved a six-month extension of a contract for retired legal assistant Debbie Barnes, accepted multiple quitclaim deeds for county rights of way, approved several rezoning requests across the county and authorized a renewal of an inmate hospitalization intergovernmental agreement that caps county liability at $10,000 per incident.

County Attorney Scott Bennett requested the extension of Barnes' consultant contract to the end of the fiscal year, saying the office is handling a record number of felony filings and needs experienced help while longer-term staffing is evaluated. "We set a new record for felony filings last year," Bennett said, adding the extension will allow the office time to reassess needs during upcoming budget hearings. The board voted unanimously to approve the contract extension.

The board also approved acceptance of quitclaim deeds to secure rights of way for county roads. The board accepted a quitclaim deed along Monteith Road from Tracy J. Monteith and others and a quitclaim deed for a segment of Powerline Road from Kent and Rose Larson; supervisors said the Larson acquisition is intended to help prepare Powerline Road for a planned chip-seal project this spring.

In public-safety and court-business actions, the board approved Pro Tempore appointments for the justice and superior courts. The board approved Mary Aiden to…