Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub Resigns after 29 Years

MIKE MOTZ

Sidney Sun-Telegraph

SIDNEY--On Monday, December 16, 2024, the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners held its regular meeting, and the biggest topic on the agenda was the resignation of Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub. Schaub's last day as County Attorney will be January 5, 2025. The County Attorney is an elected position with a four-year term, and Schaub's current term has about two more years left before the next election for the position will be held. Schaub has been the County Attorney since January 1995, and also served as Interim Deuel County Attorney from 2012-2014.

Schaub announced that he had interviewed for a position in Colorado's 19th Judicial District, covering Weld County, and was offered a position and accepted.

"I received a job offer. It's a very good offer, and I've talked to friends and family about that. I talked to my wife about it, and ultimately I made the decision to accept that offer. For those of you who don't know where that is, it actually encompasses Weld County. Weld County is a massive-sized county running from north of Thornton which is north of Denver, all the way up to the Wyoming border," said Schaub.

Schaub was visibly emotional when detailing his experience as Cheyenne County Attorney, and named the groups of people he had worked and associated with, from his staff members to law enforcement, and court personnel.

"I've worked with dedicated law enforcement over the years, the sheriff's office, police department, state patrol. These people are on the line to protect your lives and they're serious about doing it," he said.

Schaub said his new role is a "Tier 4" position, and he would be primarily handling felony and homicide cases.

Commissioner Randy Miller said to Schaub, "I want to thank you for your years of service. You've done fantastic, and I've got to know you very well, and thank you for everything you've done for the county. I really appreciate it," said Miller, with Commissioners Sanders and Johnson agreeing with his sentiment.

The Board next talked about the process of appointing an Interim County Attorney, and the timelines involved. One issue that had to be addressed is that Deputy County Attorney Amber Horn is on Maternity leave until January 17, 2025, so another Deputy needed to be appointed until Horn returns and then can fill that role. The Commissioners went into Executive Session for about 30 minutes to discuss the issue, and when they reconvened as the Board of Commissioners, it was announced that David Wilson would be providing services as County Attorney starting January 6, 2025, and will fill that role until Amber Horn comes back from Maternity leave on January 17. Horn will then fulfill the County Attorney's responsibilities until an Interim County Attorney is formally appointed. The Interim County Attorney will then act as County Attorney for the remainder of Schaub's term, approximately two years.

The County will immediately place advertisements for the position, and Schaub told the Commissioners that the county has 45 days to appoint an Interim County Attorney. As part of the agenda, the Commissioners were to review and consider approval of Deputy Attorney Travis Rodak, but decided to table the matter until the next Commissioner's meeting.

In other business, the Commissioners agreed to waive a table and chair rental fee of $500 for the Chamber of Commerce Banquet at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds. Commissioner Sanders did note that he was concerned that this waiver might set a precedent that all groups would say their event should also get a waiver for the rental fee. Sanders asked Building and Grounds Supervisor Tom Payne about the policy, and Payne said that the Fairgrounds recently obtained their own tables and chairs, and in the past, most groups rented the tables and chairs from the Cheyenne County Community Center. Sanders agreed to approve the waiver but said that the Commissioners should be wary of creating a precedent. Commissioner Miller noted that the County was part of the Chamber of Commerce, so a waiver of this fee would not be considered unusual. The waiver was approved 3-to-0.

In other business, Extension Educator Jamie Bright announced that Lynn Holbrook had resigned as an Extension Board Member and that the Extension Office would need a new Board Member from Cheyenne County. She said she would be raising awareness of the position on social media sites and her own personal networks. Commissioner Miller said that Bright knew all the right people, and he was confident she would get a good candidate soon to fill the position.