Carroll County commissioners said Friday that they hope to determine in the next year whether the county could save money by hiring private attorneys to handle the legal work an in-house staff does now.
The commissioners conceded that some legal staff members may quit in the meantime because they think their jobs are in jeopardy.
"The staff may feel somewhat insecure," Commissioner Donald I. Dell said.
Commissioner W. Benjamin Brown said, "This is no indication that you're not doing a good job. It's an opportunity here to look at the options."
Last month, County Attorney Charles W. Thompson Jr. announced that he would leave his job in mid-March to become Montgomery County attorney. There had been rumors that the commissioners would replace Mr. Thompson or privatize the office.
"If the commissioners had said they wanted me for another four years, I wouldn't even be looking" for another job, Mr. Thompson said last month.
The commissioners said Friday that they have appointed Deputy County Attorney George A. Lahey as acting county attorney while they study privatization.
Mr. Lahey has worked for the county since March 1989. He is vacationing in South America until mid-March.
He earns $49,589 a year and was offered the new position at the same salary, Mr. Brown said. The commissioners do not plan to hire another attorney after Mr. Thompson leaves.
The county attorney's office has 14 employees, including six attorneys, and an annual budget of about $500,000. The decision to study privatizing the office was unanimous, Mr. Dell said.
Commissioner Richard T. Yates said he would like to look into privatizing other county government functions, but he could not give an example Friday.
Mr. Brown said the commissioners do not know how much money, if any, the county could save by hiring private attorneys and that the decision to study the idea does not mean the commissioners have decided to privatize the office.
If Carroll contracts with a private law firm, Mr. Dell said, he would like to hire attorneys who are familiar with the county and its history. He said the county still would need an in-house attorney "based on how often we contact the county attorney."
Mr. Brown said he agrees that the county would need an in-house "presence."
The commissioners asked Mr. Thompson last week to write a request for proposals from law firms describing how they would handle county legal work and the price they would charge.
Mr. Thompson said he will detail the work that the county attorney's office does. Staff attorneys represent a variety of agencies, including the Department of Social Services, Carroll County College and the Carroll County Public Library, he said.
Attorneys give advice to county boards, such as the Planning Commission and liquor and zoning boards. They also negotiate contracts for land sales for school sites, roads and other projects.
Mr. Thompson said smaller counties generally use private attorneys.