The payment of a lawsuit against Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine was subject to much discussion at Wednesday’s Butler County Commissioner meeting.
Commissioner Leslie Osche says that Attorney Tom King of the firm Dillon McCandless King Coulter and Graham, which serves as special counsel to the county, is earning $175 per hour for his work.
“King knows we have a budget, we know we have a budget, and we’ll have to work within that,” Osche said.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the commissioners said the money would be used from a line item in the budget that is for unanticipated legal costs. That line item was estimated to be in between $40,000 to $50,000, according to County Solicitor Wil White.
Osche also said she believes that businesses and people will contribute financially to the final bill.
“Some have already expressed that they want to pay something,” Osche said. “When we get a bill, we’ll let those who were interested in contributing, and they can make a decision at that time.”
Meanwhile, commissioners in Fayette, Greene, and Washington Counties, who are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said they haven’t decided if they are committing financially at this time.
Mike Belding is the chairman for the Green County Commissioners.
“Our understanding is that it’s voluntary in payment. [The county] has not discussed any conditions or any amount or anything like that,” Belding said. “But I can express that we’ve had several residents in Greene County who would like to contribute to that cause their own private money.”
Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughn said their county’s solicitor, Jana Grimm, has been working with King on the lawsuit. But Vaughn said that Grimm is being paid through her retainer contract.
“Our solicitor had a conversation with King about this, and he said that there would be no cost incurred for his work by Washington County,” Vaughn said.
Fayette County Commissioner Dave Lohr said he was appreciative of the collective effort from the region.
“We’re all on the same team, trying to get things up-and-running, and making our people happy again,” Lohr said.
In addition to Fayette, Greene, and Washington Counties, numerous local elected leaders and businesses are listed as plaintiffs in the suit.
The lawsuit was ratified by a 2 to 1 vote by Butler County Commissioners, with Kevin Boozel dissenting.
