Morrow County commissioners voted to authorize hiring Inova Legal Advisors as the county's outside legal counsel and directed the commission chair and county administrator to prepare engagement letters to return to the Board of Commissioners for final approval.

The action followed interviews with two firms: a four-attorney municipal practice represented by Bob Blackmore and Baum Smith, represented by Wyatt Baum, who outlined each firm's staffing, municipal experience and how they would work in a hybrid model with the county's in-house counsel.

The board took up the item after adopting the meeting agenda and hearing presentations and questions that focused on division of responsibilities between outside counsel and Justin Nelson, the county's in-house counsel; conflict-of-interest protocols; communication channels; expected turnaround times for brief legal questions; and budget availability for outside services.

"I don't see that as a problem at all," Bob Blackmore said when asked whether a hybrid model working alongside in-house counsel would be workable. Blackmore described a four-attorney firm with municipal practice experience, explained that certain specialties such as environmental or land-use work would typically be handled by associated specialists, and emphasized establishing clear roles, deliverables and timelines.

Wyatt Baum described Baum Smith as a three-lawyer firm with extensive municipal work in eastern Oregon, including city and school district representation, public records and human-resources support and experience coordinating with other outside counsel. Baum said the firm aims to be accessible: "We typically respond within 24 hours," he told commissioners when asked about turnaround for brief inquiries.

Commissioners pressed both candidates on communication and authority. County Administrator Matt Jensen briefed the board on the county's current legal budget lines, saying the county has $30,000 allocated for a deputy district attorney and $75,000 for other legal services under the BOC administration fund; he said about $25,000 of that had been used and roughly $50,000 remained available. Jensen told commissioners he expected the existing funds would cover the next six months of outside legal services without an immediate budget change.

During discussion of the eventual motion, several commissioners noted familiarity with the incumbent firm and the advantage of local presence. One commissioner urged caution about "taking a flyer" on an unfamiliar firm; another said local availability was a weighty factor in favor of Baum Smith. The board amended the motion to require that the chair and county administrator prepare engagement letters that would be returned to the board for approval rather than placing final documents on a consent agenda without discussion.

A voice vote followed. Multiple commissioners responded "Aye," and the chair declared the motion carried. The meeting record in the transcript does not include a roll-call tally of individual votes.

Next steps: the commission chair and county administrator will draft engagement letters reflecting the agreed scope and bring those documents back to the Board of Commissioners for formal approval. The board discussed that engagement letters should specify communication protocols, timelines tied to agenda publication, and demarcation of duties between the county's in-house counsel and outside counsel.