The civil division of the county attorney´s office provides advice and defense to Gila county government. The county attorney´s office cannot give advise to, or represent any, private individual or entity. The civil division provides advice to county officers on maters relating to the duties of their office. We act as the legal advisor to the board of supervisors and attend their meetings. We represent the elected offices of the Gila County Assessor, Gila County Treasurer, and the Superintendent of Schools, Gila County Sheriff, and Gila County Recorder. We also advise and represent the county´s administrative offices such as the community development department, engineering department, health department, public works administration, human resources office, finance department, and public fiduciary.
Arizona law also required the county attorney to represent all school districts within the county. Many school districts in other Arizona counties hire their own attorney for representation. However, the Gila County Attorney´s Office represents all eight school districts in the county. We also represent the community college district.
Because Gila County is comprised of mostly unincorporated areas, there are about two dozen special taxing districts which provide water, fire-fighting services, sanitation, and road improvement services to residents of the district. The county attorney´s office also provides advice to these political subdivisions.
The county attorney´s advise consists of written legal opinions, acquisition of real and personal property, draft and review of intergovernmental agreements, draft and review of resolutions and ordinances, review of public bidding and grant documents, negotiation of franchises for public services corporations for delivery of gas, telephone, and cable television services, advice regarding conduct of federal and local elections, interpretation and application of zoning rules in the unincorporated areas, approval of financial assurances and review of subdivisions.
In addition to legal advice, the county attorney´s office also represents Gila County government in litigation and contested administrative matters. Our office has represented Gila County defendants in Superior Court, U.S. District Court, Arizona Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals. We also prosecute cases before the Gila County Merit System Commission and Arizona Dept of Environmental Quality hearing officers.
The civil division is also responsible for attending to the needs of residents with mental disorders who need evaluation and treatment by a treatment agency. We provide advice to the Gila County Sheriff regarding a person´s mental status, and represent the county in Superior Court in contested matters regarding the patient´s treatment options.
In addition to incarceration, we have found that drug crimes can be deterred if criminals are unable to retain the money and property they acquire through drug crimes. We conduct asset forfeiture for all law enforcement agencies in the county. We are able to seize and retain cash, vehicles, weapons, and computer equipment from those who commit drug crimes. These items are allocated to the law enforcement agencies that use them for more effective drug interdiction. We use the money for salaries of drug enforcement officers, equipment, and training to create a more knowledgeable and effective law enforcement officer.