Shelby Co.  (ECWd) –

Shelby County Treasurer Erica Firnhaber received a written legal opinion prior to the County Board meeting held last night. (see video below of meeting)

Over the past year of reporting on the Shelby County farm lease and tax issues, the written opinion provided is the first actual written opinion we have seen presented.  To date what has been shared during meetings is a lot of verbal opinions and copies of other county contract information and court cases, of which both are referred to in the written opinion.

The legal opinion provided is consistent with all of our past reporting on the matter.

We urge everyone to read what was provided as it is quite educational and is exactly what we have urged public officials to obtain when they have legal questions.  They need to get it in writing and insist it includes statutory references and applicable case law to support the opinion.  When things are in writing it helps to eliminate confusion and or misunderstanding as to what the law actually outlines.

You can download a copy at this link or view below the video of the meeting.

Ltr to Firnhaber RE LglOpinion NO Date