DA’s office feeling effects of increased workload after town takeover

Perhaps no one saw it coming, but the dissolution of the Pahrump Town Board’s governing body has created an additional workload for the Nye County District Attorney’s Office.

District Attorney Angela Bello at Tuesday’s commission meeting was looking for approval from the County Commission to create and partially fund a deputy district attorney position for its civil division. The suggested position would also be funded by the towns of Pahrump, Tonopah, Amargosa and Round Mountain, pending their approval.

Commissioner Butch Borasky said due to much confusion about the wording of the motion on the item, it was decided to revisit the issue at the next scheduled commission meeting May 19. He also understands the towns do not support the idea.

He noted because there were multiple motions made on the item, he wasn’t exactly sure about what the body had decided Tuesday.

“I think there was too much confusion, that I wasn’t even certain myself,” he said. “I am still trying to confirm the motion that was made. One of the commissioners thinks he made a motion without the opinion of the attorney general’s office and another commissioner got something totally different out of the motion.”

Similarly, Borasky said the confusion was also felt by the district attorney and the county manager during the discussion that lasted nearly an hour.

“I think that what the district attorney wants and what the county manager wants are two different things and I don’t know how that’s going to work,” he said. “I do know that the district attorney’s office is overloaded with work and she clearly stated in the meeting that she will not be able to do town business because they are already stacked up to the hilt.”

Borasky said hiring a private attorney could be considered by the commission, but either way, the town’s business needs to get done.

“The funding will have to come out from the town’s account depending on how much is needed,” he said. “The town needs its own attorney to represent them so if we have to do it through private council I believe the district attorney said go ahead and do it.”

Another issue commissioners discussed was who the deputy district attorney would answer: the district attorney or county manager.

“If the position is a deputy district attorney, Angela Bello wants that person to answer to her and we’ll take that up at the next meeting,” he said. “I’m still not exactly sure how much would it would be to fund that position.”