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Committee forwards change to county attorney pay after witness recounts prior double-billing settlement
Summary
House Bill 2,642 would alter the Hamlin County private act for the county attorney by setting a $1,200 annual retainer plus hourly pay for additional work; a witness described a prior lawsuit that settled for $14,900 over alleged double-billing.
Representative Eldridge presented House Bill 2,642, which would set the county attorney’s annual retainer at $1,200, payable monthly, with the attorney otherwise compensated for actual legal work and hourly billing.
Linda Noe returned to testify about the history behind the provision, recounting a 2018 citizen complaint and subsequent lawsuit that she said resulted in a settlement in which the county attorney or his insurer paid $14,900 for what she described as "double dipping." "That citizen then checked the county attorney's monthly billings and found out he was billing by the hour while he was being paid a retainer," Noe said. Members pressed about meeting frequency (twice a month for finance and full commission) and whether the retainer covered required attendance; Noe said the retainer had historically required attendance at those meetings, and that the bill’s proposed language would change that arrangement. The committee voted 10–0 to forward the bill to State and Local.
