Pinal County supervisors approve pay for two county attorney's office hires made without prior board authorization

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors voted to authorize compensation payments and employee acknowledgments for two staffers the county attorney's office hired without prior board authorization.

Counsel Joe Canfield of Snell & Wilmer told the board that the matter is a personnel issue arising from two employees who were hired and began working in early 2025 without the board's prior approval. "These two employees were hired, offered positions and began working at the office, but the county attorney did not have prior authorization or approval from the board to make those offers," Canfield said. He added that under federal and state employment laws, "those individuals did perform work and are entitled to compensation" for the time they worked.

Chairman McClure framed the item as a retroactive administrative step tied to the limits on hiring authority for elected offices. He said elected officials may not unilaterally add staff without board approval and that the payments under consideration would cover the period "from the time those folks were hired until they became official employees," subject to staff confirmation.

A board member identified in the record as the vice chair moved to approve Item 2 as presented; a second was recorded. The board voice-voted in favor; the public record shows affirmative responses but does not list individual tallies. The motion authorized payments to the two employees and the execution of acknowledgments related to that compensation.

The board did not discuss dollar amounts, personnel names in open session, or the mechanics of processing the payments beyond confirming the period for which pay would be provided. The meeting moved on after the vote.