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Commission approves two-year contract for indignant defense counsel Chase T. Hansen
Summary
The Box Elder County Commission approved Contract #26-05 on Feb. 11, 2026, to hire Chase T. Hansen as a contracted public defender (Feb. 11, 2026–Jan. 31, 2028). The contract pays $8,000 monthly and includes $90/hour for felony trial days after the first full day.
The Box Elder County Commission voted unanimously Feb. 11 to approve Contract #26-05, bringing Chase T. Hansen on as a contracted public defender for the county's indigent defense program. Public Defender Managing Defender Michael McGinnis presented the agreement and described Hansen as a new hire to cover district-court public-defense appointments.
The contract term runs Feb. 11, 2026, through Jan. 31, 2028. Box Elder County will pay a monthly flat fee of $8,000 (equivalent to $96,000 per year) and will pay $90 per hour for courtroom time in felony trials after the first full day, according to the contract text presented to the board. Commissioner Boyd Bingham moved to approve the contract and Commissioner Lee Perry seconded; the motion carried on a unanimous roll-call vote.
The agreement requires the public defender to cooperate with the county's Managing Defender on caseload reporting, continuing-education reporting, jail visits, and maintaining client records for at least 24 months after case closure. The contract text included a clause that the county would reimburse reasonable defense-related expenses (investigator fees, laboratory costs and similar expenses) when approved by the Managing Defender.
The commission's action was recorded as a formal county contract approval (Contract #26-05). The board did not discuss modifications to compensation during the public meeting; the contract as adopted binds both parties to the stated monthly and trial-day rates.
