An unusual objection was made during last Thursday night's DeWitt County Board meeting.

Paying county bills is usually a routine item of business that rarely turns into much discussion, however, last Thursday night, Board member Buck Carter objected to paying the retainer on the County's labor attorney hoping to see an itemized list of his expenses. Chairwoman of the County Board's finance committee, Melonie Tilley says this is a routine expense for the County and the labor attorney has saved the County money in the last year.

Carter cited uncertainty regarding what the attorney is handling that could be taken care of by the County's department heads. Tilley and Aaron Kammeyer both spoke up in defense of the bill saying the attorney has helped resolve many legal issues. Tilley specifically spoke to expenses not charged by their attorney.

DeWitt County Board Chair Terry Ferguson says a department head handling an issue could result in costs much higher than the labor attorney. Carter objected to the $44,000 bill without an itemized cost.

DeWitt County Sheriff Mike Walker indicates the labor attorney offers a tremendous amount of expertise to not only the Sheriff's office but DeWitt County as a whole.

Carter withdrew the motion to withhold the retainer on the labor attorney but wanted an itemized statement of the services provided. The County Board approved paying all the bills.