Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Litigation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pinal County chair discloses $257,000 in outside legal costs tied to dispute with county attorney
Summary
Chairman McClure told the Board of Supervisors that outside investigative and litigation spending tied to alleged employment-law and intergovernmental-agreement issues involving the county attorney totaled about $257,000 through February, and that the board has filed suit; a court conference is scheduled for April 9.
Chairman McClure told the Pinal County Board of Supervisors on April 1 that the county has incurred roughly $191,000 in outside legal and investigative services to address alleged employment-law and policy violations by the county attorney, and an additional $66,000 in outside counsel related to a disputed intergovernmental task-force agreement.
"The legal and investigative services to address, county attorney Miller's violations of employment laws and county policies is noncompliant. Is $191,000 so far to the February," McClure said, adding that legal services related to the task-force agreement were "$66,000 through the February." He said the board has filed a lawsuit over the agreement and that counsel will file a reply this Friday; a court conference is scheduled for April 9 to set further proceedings.
McClure said the board believes the county attorney entered an intergovernmental agreement that exceeded statutory authority and that departments cannot encumber the county without board approval. He said the board's counsel will make future filings public when submitted.
The chair presented the spending figures during routine updates; he framed the amounts as expenses the board wants to make transparent to the public. He did not provide a breakout of hourly rates or the names of outside law firms retained.
The remarks drew no immediate public-answer exchange on the legal strategy, and board members did not take further formal action on the item during the meeting. The chair said the court will meet with counsel on April 9 to determine how to move the case forward toward scheduling for eventual trial.
