In addition to having a new County Attorney, Barton County will also soon have a new County Counselor who will assist Commissioners on legal issues.

Current Counselor Carey Hipp will soon be leaving to become a District Judge in the 20th Judicial District after winning that spot in the November general election.

Commissioners voted 5-0 Monday to name Pat Hoffman with Sherman, Hoffman and Hoffman from Ellsworth to take over the position. That is the same law firm that Carey Hipp worked with during her time as Counselor.

Commissioner Alicia Straub said she liked the idea of having an outside voice to guide the board on legal issues.

Alicia Straub Audio

The County received three proposals for legal services and the bid from Pat Hoffman had the lowest monthly rate of $4,000 per month. However that was not the lowest hourly rate. Commissioner Jennifer Schartz recommended that the board try an hourly rate instead of the monthly rate for 2019, but Straub provided figures that convinced Commissioners to stay with the monthly rate model.

Alicia Straub Audio

The other two bids received came from Alan Glendenning from the Watkins Calcara Law Firm and from Kent Roth with the Roth Law Office in Ellinwood.

Straub says the $48,000 per year contract is comparable to the $50,000 figure that Ellis County and Ford County pay for their County Counselors.