County plans to prosecute Price cases

$130,000 contract would buttress county attorney budget
Carbon County commissioners approved a $130,000 contract with Price City last week that would pave the way for the county attorney’s office to handle all city criminal prosecution services.
Nick Sampinos, the longtime Price City attorney, is leaving that position at the end of June.
Jeremy Humes, a county prosecutor and an unopposed candidate for county attorney, addressed commissioners last Wednesday and urged them to approve the arrangement.
“As you know the budget cuts from last year have left us in the county attorney’s office short handed,” he said. “And in working with each of you looking at ways we could do more with less, and working with the city, we’ve found a way we think we can capture some economies of scale and efficiencies that would benefit both the county and the city, and as a result the community as a whole.”
Humes said that Price City currently prosecutes crimes in both District Court and in the Justice Court through the city attorney. Since Sampinos has served so long and for less than what a full-time city attorney would normally cost, Humes said the contract would also amount to a savings for the city while also helping his office hire new staff to support a growing case load.
“I think there is an opportunity here for us to be able to funnel all of those cases through the county attorney’s office,” Humes said. “The county has made a significant investment in our computer system to be able to efficiently handle the cases. We are in those courts already anyway. The defendants who appear in those courts are sometimes confused about which entity is handling their particular case. So I think it will be a little more straightforward for the defendants. So overall I think it would be a good scenario.”
The agreement calls for a payment of $130,000 a year from Price City to the county. It would carry an increase of 1.5 percent per year each. The first contract will be a 3-year agreement.
“But we’ve structured it so that it would have a 120-day cancellation provision by either party if it was not working for whatever reason. It provides flexibility if it’s not a good fit for the county. And for the city if it’s not a good fit for them,” Humes explained.
Humes said with the additional funding, he believes the county attorney’s office will be able to hire a new attorney and a full-time staff member to handle the city’s prosecution services and still assist in covering some of the county’s caseload.
“We feel like that will be able to provide a benefit to handle these city cases as well as the overload in our office since we lost a couple of people as a result of the budget cuts. This will increase what the county will have to contribute to this, but still be a significant cost savings over what you were spending in 2017 prior to those budget cuts,” Humes said.
Humes said fines and fees collected from defendants in Price cases would still go to the city. Price would also still be required to provide its own public defender services for those defendants who can’t afford the services of a private attorney.
“All we would be doing is the prosecution portion of it. We would not be handling any civil matters,” Humes said.
Commissioner Jake Mellor said he was in favor of the proposal.
“I am aware of the funding requirements on our part…I also recognize over the past couple of decades the lack of budget increase relative to the workload increase that you guys have had. So in a way it is time that we catch up a little bit,” the commissioner said.
Commissioners passed the measure unanimously.
Price city will still have to approve the contract, according to Humes. He said it would be on the city council’s May 23 agenda.
Humes said he hopes the agreement is in place at the earliest June 1, and at the latest June 30, when Sampinos’ resignation takes effect.
Sampinos isn’t the only longtime local attorney leaving office soon. Humes is slated to take over for County Attorney Gene Strate after the November election and when Strate’s term expires. However, a vacancy in Utah’s 7th Judicial District, has opened up a judgeship for which Humes is a finalist. Should Gov. Gary Herbert select Humes to fill that seat, Carbon County will need to scramble to replace both Strate and Humes.
The county also elected earlier this year to spend additional funds to hire new contract public defenders.