Dawson County OKs $7,000 for Drug Court defense counsel, directs contract drafting

The Dawson County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 27 approved $7,000 to pay defense counsel for the Mid‑Nebraska Problem Solving Court and directed the county attorney to draft a prorated contract covering the remainder of the fiscal year.

The action followed a request from Judge Michael E. Piccolo and Lonnie Folchert, who asked the board for the funds to pay Radly Shaw as defense counsel for the Drug Court. Finance Chair Commissioner Bill Stewart moved to enter executive session at the request of County Attorney Shafer to discuss salary for Drug Court counsel; the board entered executive session at 9:36 a.m. and reconvened at 9:42 a.m. After returning, Commissioner Stewart moved and Commissioner Rod Reynolds seconded approval of the $7,000 request for the 2026‑27 fiscal year; the motion carried with Commissioners Reynolds, Stewart, Swanson and Chairman PJ Jacobson voting aye.

The board directed County Attorney Shafer to draft a contract for the counsel engagement and specified that the fee shall be prorated through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. The meeting record does not include direct quotations from the request or from the county attorney and does not detail the contract terms beyond the prorated fee instruction.

Separately, earlier in the meeting the board authorized the Public Defender Policy Board to screen and interview qualified applicants and report back with recommendations for any qualified applicant to perform Dawson County Public Defender duties; that motion (by Commissioner Rod Reynolds, seconded by Commissioner Stewart) carried unanimously.

The board held a second, separate executive session later in the meeting to receive legal advice and discuss legislative strategy; the record states no action resulted from that session. The meeting adjourned at 10:02 a.m.