The Pocahontas County Commission scheduled a special meeting on March 11 at 8:30 a.m. to consider and act on the employment of a full-time attorney for the Commission.
During a budget meeting on Monday morning, Commissioner Bill Beard said the Commission plans to discuss the issue, but has not yet decided to hire an attorney on a full-time, part-time, or contract basis. Beard said the purpose of hiring an attorney would be to advise the Commission on routine matters that come before the Commission.
Under state law, the prosecuting attorney of a county has the responsibility to provide legal advice to the county commission and other county officials. On Monday morning, Pocahontas County Prosecuting Attorney Eugene Simmons said he had not been consulted about the Commission’s plan to hire an attorney.
During its meeting on February 17, the commissioners stated their intent to seek legal advice on potential uses of property at the Green Bank Industrial Site, but gave no indication that they were hiring an outside attorney for that issue or for full-time employment.