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Benton County attorney seeks immediate hire after another resignation; board votes to post vacancy
Summary
County Attorney Kathleen Reuter told commissioners she is losing another attorney and asked to ‘‘overfill’’ the position by posting two openings; the board voted to post the immediate vacancy and defer a decision on hiring a second attorney until the full board meets.
Benton County Attorney Kathleen Reuter told commissioners that another felony attorney has handed in notice and will leave on Oct. 3, adding to long-standing vacancies that have caused burnout in her office.
“Understaffing in my office is causing a lot of burnout and turnover,” Reuter said, and requested permission to post the immediate vacancy and temporarily overfill the position by hiring two attorneys so that one can cover the current military leave and anticipated departure.
Commissioners expressed support for posting the immediate opening but said they wanted full-board input before authorizing a permanent second hire. One commissioner moved to approve posting for the immediate vacancy and to postpone action on the second position until the next board meeting; Commissioner Bryant seconded the motion. With a voice vote of those present, the motion carried.
Reuter said hiring will take time and that posting two distinct positions could increase the candidate pool, but she acknowledged a small risk if the current attorney were to return. The board directed staff to post the vacancy now and to bring the staffing question back for broader consideration at the next meeting.
Next steps: the county will post the vacancy and consider the request to add a second attorney at the October board meeting.
