County Commission members on Wednesday praised County Mayor Weston Wamp's choice of Janie Parks Varnell as the next county attorney.
The commission next week is set to vote on resolutions that would put attorney Varnell on the county payroll in January and have her take over as county attorney in July. One resolution says County Attorney Rheubin Taylor would stay on as contract attorney through the end of 2025.
County Attorney Taylor said at the end of the discussion that he did not ask for a two-year extension on his contract, but he said some commissioners had asked him to stay on.
He said from the comments it appears that the commissioners favor attorney Varnell moving into the post, and he said, "That's fine with me."
He said of attorney Varnell, "I don't know her. I have never met her, but I have heard nothing but good things about her."
County Attorney Taylor then told commissioners the two resolutions "are in violation of our contract."
Commissioners said that apparently will require the commission to get their own attorney on the issue, since County Attorney Taylor would have a conflict.
County Attorney Taylor also said, "There was no threat of legal litigation. I just raised a legal issue."
County Mayor Wamp, upon coming into office, sought to fire County Attorney Taylor, and a lawsuit ensued. County Attorney Taylor won and the county had to pay over $200,000 in legal bills.
County Mayor Wamp said under the new arrangement the county attorney would not have a contract, but be a county employee.
Attorney Varnell agreed not to do any outside legal work.
Attorney Varnell, who had a host of supporters with her, said she was clear that she would work with both the administration and the commission without special loyalty to one.
She said she had not been told a salary, but was agreeable with the amount now paid the county attorney.
Attorney Varnell said she had no staff changes in mind. She said attorneys Dee Hobbs and Sharon Milling could stay on.
Several commissioners said they wanted to know what the salary would be prior to voting next week.
It was not clear where at the courthouse attorney Varnell would be working for the next six months.
Commissioner Gene-o Shipley said it appeared that actions of County Mayor Wamp were often "picked on" by the commission, whereas prior county mayors had much smoother sailing. He said County Mayor Wamp "is gouged every time he makes a move. He could bring us a gold brick and it wouldn't weigh enough."
The Wamp transition plan includes for attorney Varnell:
January 2025
Main objectives will be to get to know the structure and function of the office: sit down with all employees, meet them, learn what they do, how the office runs, office management practices, case management systems. Review current cases, policies and procedures. Attend all county commission and legal meetings with R. Taylor. Become familiar with Department of Risk Management and participate in interview process for Risk Manager position recently vacated by Bill Stoll’s retirement.
Request access to:
• Case management systems
• Digital files (if they exist)
• Standard operating procedures
• Historical legal opinions
• Template libraries
February 2025
Start becoming acquainted with other County departments. Begin setting up one-on-one meetings with the commissioners to learn how they work with the County Attorney on a daily basis, seek input on how the County Attorney’s office works well, and ways the office could run more efficiently. Begin setting up meetings with County administrators and department heads to have the same conversations.
Continue attending all County Commission meetings.
March/April 2025
Evaluate all ongoing cases for status and priority. Identify any areas of litigation needing immediate attention or resources. Explore developing or changing case management system for July 1 rollout.
Assess staff skills and areas for improvement or extra support, professional development.
Begin assessing Tennessee Public Records Act response protocols. Review all policies and procedures for the County's response to public records requests. Meet with county staff responsible for responding to public records requests to clarify policies and procedures.
Review budget request with R. Taylor and Lee Brouner in preparation for budget process.
May 2025
Attend 2024 Annual Conference of the TN County Attorney’s Association May 3-4.
Begin to handle the majority of legal opinions. Begin developing office priorities for FY 2026. Become lead contract review with assistance of R. Taylor or D. Hobbs.
Determine staff strengths and weaknesses. Determine staffing priorities, building upon any existing staff and posting listings for vacant positions or new positions.
If necessary, consult with community partner, Chattanooga City Attorney's Office regarding their policies and procedures concerning public records requests. Identify strengths and weaknesses in our protocols, ensure full compliance with state and federal public records laws, and begin to modify/develop efficient public records request protocols.
Finalize any budgetary needs for office to run as efficiently as possible.
June 2025
Complete handover of all active matters.
Establish new office protocols. Finalize new hiring decisions/interviews of new employees. One on one meetings with Commissioners prior to July 1 to check in on progress of transition and goals for the coming year.
July 2025 – September 2025
Assume role of County Attorney.
Focus during this period of time will be on establishing a new chapter of the County Attorney’s office, establishing new policies and procedures, modernizing computer systems and case management systems, and case review to determine whether there are cases that can be resolved.
Establish regular meetings with County Commissioners and check-in points that meet their schedule and needs.
Implement goal of ensuring the County Attorney’s office has a more proactive public stance. Renew partnerships with HC DA’s office, HCSO, HC Mayor’s Office, etc. Regular meetings with representatives with those offices to renew partnerships and learn where the County Attorney can be best utilized.
This will also be the final period of time where any employee of the County Attorney’s office will be permitted to maintain outside employment. A reasonable transition period (TBD) will be given to wind down any outside practice or employment.
October – December 2025
Focus during this period is to close any outstanding matters with R. Taylor, make any final changes to staff, review policies and procedures. Final case review with R. Taylor, D. Hobbs and S. Milling to ensure we are up to date on all deadlines, etc. Final preparations for the retirement of R. Taylor on December 31, 2025.
KEY THEMES THROUGHOUT THE TRANSITION PERIOD:
All interactions with R. Taylor will be structured as follows:
• Regularly scheduled formal transition meetings with clear agendas
• Document all discussions in writing
• Focus questions on process and procedure, not judgment calls
• Maintain written records of all advice received
Focus on building relationships with key staff who have institutional knowledge that can
fill gaps,
including but not limited to:
• Deputy attorneys
• Legal assistants
• Department heads
• Commission staff
Establish parallel learning channels by connection with county attorneys in nearby jurisdictions, as well as our city attorney, to gain institutional knowledge.