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Committee proposes limiting county attorney's formal advice to the commission, not the public
Summary
A legal and legislative committee recommended amending rule 15 to state the county attorney will provide legal counsel only to the commission on request, and not to members of the public; the change was read aloud and will be placed on the Aug. 17 voting agenda.
Commissioner Collins presented recommended changes from the legal and legislative committee, including a proposed amendment to rule 15 that would narrow the county attorney's role. Collins read the recommended text: "The county attorney shall provide legal counsel and opinions only to the county commission as the county's legislative body and only upon request, either by ... a commissioner who has been recognized by the chairperson during a meeting or ... by the commission acting collectively outside of a meeting."
Collins said the committee voted to recommend this change because "the county attorney is employed to provide the county with legal counsel and opinion, not to provide legal help to anyone who requests it," and that questions from the public that require legal response should be directed to a commissioner for referral. The committee placed the recommendation on the Aug. 17, 2026, voting-session agenda for formal consideration.
