Job and Family Services director says contracting legal work cost-comparison justified $216,000 contract
April 18, 2026 | Ashland, Ohio
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Peter Stefaniek, director of the Ashland County Department of Job and Family Services, addressed commissioners on April 23 to explain the department’s approach to legal representation and to respond to social-media criticism.
Stefaniek said the department initially planned to post an in-house attorney position with a base salary of roughly $80,000 and an associated clerical position but paused that plan after evaluating total costs that include employer-paid health insurance and pension contributions. He described employer health coverage and a 14% pension contribution as material cost drivers.
"What it comes to is... when I'm getting used to an experienced law firm that's doing a fantastic job for us... it adds up to, $219,000," Stefaniek said, and he told the board the negotiated contract figure with the local law firm (referred to in the meeting as Kick & Gilman) was $216,000.
Stefaniek said the department had previously used assistant prosecutors in the county prosecutor’s office for representation and then moved toward in-house options before contracting with the local firm during an interim period. He said the juvenile court judge provided a brief note expressing satisfaction with the representation. Stefaniek described the contracted arrangement as cost-effective versus hiring two county positions when benefits and retirement contributions are included.
Commissioners thanked Stefaniek for the explanation and emphasized the difficulty of comparing private-sector and public-employee costs (pension, insurance, overhead). No formal action to alter the contract was taken during the meeting; Stefaniek said he brought the explanation to ensure public understanding and to correct misinformation posted online.
What’s next: The department will continue to monitor service quality and costs and the commissioners said they would rely on routine reporting and any future budget requests to evaluate longer-term staffing changes.
Stefaniek said the department initially planned to post an in-house attorney position with a base salary of roughly $80,000 and an associated clerical position but paused that plan after evaluating total costs that include employer-paid health insurance and pension contributions. He described employer health coverage and a 14% pension contribution as material cost drivers.
"What it comes to is... when I'm getting used to an experienced law firm that's doing a fantastic job for us... it adds up to, $219,000," Stefaniek said, and he told the board the negotiated contract figure with the local law firm (referred to in the meeting as Kick & Gilman) was $216,000.
Stefaniek said the department had previously used assistant prosecutors in the county prosecutor’s office for representation and then moved toward in-house options before contracting with the local firm during an interim period. He said the juvenile court judge provided a brief note expressing satisfaction with the representation. Stefaniek described the contracted arrangement as cost-effective versus hiring two county positions when benefits and retirement contributions are included.
Commissioners thanked Stefaniek for the explanation and emphasized the difficulty of comparing private-sector and public-employee costs (pension, insurance, overhead). No formal action to alter the contract was taken during the meeting; Stefaniek said he brought the explanation to ensure public understanding and to correct misinformation posted online.
What’s next: The department will continue to monitor service quality and costs and the commissioners said they would rely on routine reporting and any future budget requests to evaluate longer-term staffing changes.
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