Miller stepping down as county counsel; will still be county attorney
Jackson County Attorney Shawna Miller is resigning from her position as the county counselor and will no longer be advising the Jackson County Commissioners on legal matters, it was reported.
During a recent commission meeting, the commissioners received a letter of resignation from Miller as the county counselor effective July 1.
In her letter, Miller said her large caseload as county attorney has prompted her resignation as county counselor.
“I cannot express to you the workload that I am attempting to maintain and the concern I have in my ability to continue to maintain it,” she wrote.
Miller will continue to serve as the county attorney, which is an elected position. As the county attorney, Miller is responsible for prosecuting a variety of crimes that have occurred in the county.
On the other hand, the role of the county counselor is varied and includes working closely with the county commissioners to write resolutions, review county contracts, research laws and prepare the county’s tax sale, among other legal issues.
In many counties, the county attorney also serves as the county counselor, it was reported.
Miller began serving as the county counselor January 2016 and received a $12,000 increase in pay to fill the position previously held by Holton attorney Alex Morrissey.
Morrissey served as county counselor for six years, replacing her father, the late Ed Dunn.
Dunn had served as the county counselor since 1998.
It was reported that the commissioners are in the process of seeking to fill the county counselor position.
In other business, according to the approved minutes from June 6, the commission:
• Learned from Eric Fritz, road and bridge department co-supervisor, that he has been looking into implementing a hazmat spill plan for the fuel and oil tanks located at the bridge yard on the east side of Holton the new road and bridge shop just north of Holton.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is mandating that plans be established for all counties.
Fritz said that, after some research, he estimates that a spill plan for the tanks at the bridge yard will cost $2,100 and $800 at the new shop.
It would be ideal, Fritz said, if all tanks were at one location. If they were, Fritz said the county would need a containment area around the tanks, which generally includes two-foot concrete walls with a concrete floor.
• Heard a weekly report from Fritz and Earl Bahret, road and bridge department co-supervisor, Bryson Bain, shop foreman, and Twila White, road and bridge department administrative assistant.
An estimate was received from Sullivan Construction of Holton to install concrete to triple the size of the proposed tire shop addition to the new road and bridge shop.
The company was already awarded the bid to pour concrete and rebar for the original, proposed 20-foot by 50-foot tire room at a cost of $8,960.
The new estimate for concrete for a 50-foot by 60-foot tire area and retaining wall is $29,585.
Later in the meeting, Fritz presented an estimate from Schulz Construction of Topeka for increasing the size of the proposed roof for the tire area.
The new roof estimate for the tire shop area is $55,900 for a 60-foot by 54-foot extension. The steel framework is estimated to cost $9,720.
The commissioners said they are interested in enlarging the proposed tire shop addition so that it’s large enough to accommodate county vehicles for tire work and not just serve as a storage unit for the tires and associated supplies.
• Discussed N and 238th Roads, which the commissioners viewed the previous week. A resident requested that maintenance work be completed on the road so that a few acres of land can be sold.
The commissioners said they are not in favor of maintaining that portion of the road.
