Dateline: September 20, 2007

County attorney seeks funding for secretary position

County Attorney Landon Lambert pleaded with Donley County Commissioners to budget money for a part-time secretary in his office during a public hearing Monday.

Commissioners had intended to approve their proposed $1.95 million budget last week before Lambert advised that they could not do so legally until after September 15. This week he laid out his case for needing a secretary.

“I’m doing everything I can, but I’ve only got so much time,” he said.

Lambert said he had requested a secretary in his budget request this year and said he was on the phone on county business in his office on Kearney Street when he was scheduled to appear before commissioners to defend his budget.

“By the time I got over here, everyone was gone,” he said.

Lambert said he was only looking for parity with other county officers.

“If everyone at this board were working without help, I would suck it up and deal with it,” he said.

Lambert said the lack of secretarial help was costing him money in his private practice and costing him productivity in his county duties.

The county attorney also referenced a line item in the proposed budget that sets aside $12,000 for a new stock trailer for the Extension service.

“I feel like if we had the money to help the 4H and the FFA’ers, we could have helped my office,” he said.

County Judge Jack Hall asked commissioners if they would like to take any action on Lambert’s request, but there was no comment and no motion from the court.

The budget hearing was followed by a hearing on the county’s proposed tax rate, which Judge Hall said is about two and one-quarter cents above last year’s rate.

Clarendon resident Billie Shaffer was the only citizen to address the court.

“I don’t have a bit of a problem with the tax rate increase because I think it puts us at the about the same level as other places,” she said, “but I do have a problem with the way you’re treating some people”

Shaffer specifically mentioned the employee who operates the county dump, saying that he is being required to work through lunch.

Commissioner Donnie Hall said the employee was given the option of coming to work an hour earlier or working through the noon hour and that he chose the later option. Shaffer said she believed that was an “or else” choice, which Commissioner Hall denied.

“That is not the case,” he said. “He’s a good employee, and we want to keep him.”

Shaffer also said she objected to the way the county attorney was being treated and said Lambert is “trying to do a good job.”

Commissioners will meet again September 20 to give final approval to the tax rate and the budget.

In other county business this week, commissioners approved allowing the sheriff’s office to purchase five satellite phones at a discounted rate for emergency communications.