BEDFORD — Following the conclusion of the Bedford County commissioners meeting Tuesday morning, officials responded to a civil suit from the county DA’s Office after they allegedly changed course on the hiring of an assistant district attorney.

In the statement read by Commissioners Chair Mike Stiles, commissioners said the county had announced a hiring freeze in November to avoid “drastic spending cuts, employee benefit reductions or layoffs” due to the financial situation imposed by the delay in state funding.

The freeze is set to expire by the end of this month, or potentially sooner if state funding is resumed promptly.

“(District Attorney Ashlan Clark) was not willing to cooperate with the temporary hiring freeze necessitated by the continuing efforts of the state budget impasse but instead has unfortunately decided to sue the county commissioners,” Stiles read from the statement.

Stiles said that the hiring freeze was motivated by “the best interests of the county and its taxpayers” and that the commissioners will not provide any further comment on the matter as it is pending litigation.

According to the lawsuit filed against the county, Clark alleged that the commissioners reneged on a previous agreement to hire an additional assistant district attorney who used the agreement to resign her previous employment and is now jobless.

Clark said the would-be assistant district attorney is a single mother of four who is now jobless with no health insurance for her or her four children.

After the woman signed the accepted job offer on Nov. 3, Clark was told on Nov. 6 that the county had frozen new hires due to the ongoing state budget impasse.

Clark is seeking back pay for the woman to Nov. 17, the previously agreed-upon start date, according to court documents.

Clark said that she “respectfully disagrees with the Board of Commissioners’ assertion that our office has been uncooperative regarding the hiring of the previously budgeted position currently affected by the budget freeze. At every step, our office has acted in good faith to ensure transparency, communication and collaboration,” in a statement provided to the Mirror after the meeting.

According to Clark, she made multiple efforts to engage with the commissioners to resolve the matter before filing the suit, including providing a draft of the intended filing in advance as an opportunity to discuss concerns and reach an amicable solution.

“Unfortunately, no response was received,” Clark said.

“Given the critical nature of this position and the direct impact it has on public safety, as well as on our office’s ability to fulfill its statutory responsibilities, we believe it is necessary to proceed with the filing,” Clark said in the statement. “Our duty is to protect the community and uphold the integrity of the District Attorney’s Office, and we cannot risk delays that compromise those obligations.”

Clark said that she remains willing to work with the commissioners to resolve the issue, and is committed to providing the necessary resources for her office to serve the public effectively and responsibly.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 11.

TRAN authorization

In other business, the commissioners also authorized a tax and revenue anticipation note up to $3 million to make up for delayed funding from the state government.

Stiles said that authorizing the note, often referred to as a TRAN, would help keep the county financially solvent until $2 million in overdue funding that had been delayed by the five-month state budget impasse is delivered to the county.

Stiles said that he does not know when the remaining funds will be handed down, so taking out the TRAN is necessary to cover county expenses until that time.

Commissioner Deb Baughman cited the five-month budget impasse as cause for the “difficult year for us financially,” saying that the county has not had to take out a TRAN since before the pandemic.

“This will allow us to get through the beginning of the year before tax revenue from 2026 begins opening up so we can pay the bills and keep ourselves staffed,” Baughman said.

Baughman said that the county is not obligated to draw down the entire $3 million at once and will pay back only the amount that it utilizes.

The interest rate on any money drawn from the TRAN will be about 3.5%, Stiles said, and must be repaid by the end of 2026.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.