b'Washington County Attorneys Office2019 Annual Report CivilDivision Civil Division attorneys are subject matter experts assisting all county departments achieve solutions.Civil Division Chief Sue Tice The Civil Division acts as the Countys civil lawyer and advisor with a broad range of duties includingcounsellingandrenderinglegalopinionstoindividualCountyDepartments,reviewingall County contracts and representing Washington County in court. Civil Division attorneys work with every department in the County. The Civil Division continues its very successful 8 year collaboration with Community Services to collect Medical Assistance reimbursement which in 2019 resulted in over $400,000.00 being collected. 2019 saw the offices continued growth in providing legal representation to the Resource and Energy (R&E) Board. The R&E Board is a joint powers collaboration between Ramsey and Washington counties which owns and manages a solid waste processing facility. In 2019, Washington County entered into an agreement with Ramsey County, Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority and Washington County Regional Rail Authority for a joint powers board to govern a proposed Metro Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit project. As a member of the joint powers board, Washington County entered into an additional agreement to provide the general counsel legal services of a Civil Assistant Washington County Attorney to the project. AnotherimportantdutyassignedtotheCivilDivisionwhichdirectlyimpactschildrenand parents is the establishment and pursuit of child support. The Civil Division takes great pride in the fact that,inpartnershipwithWashingtonCountyCommunityServices,WashingtonCountycontinuesto outpace the state average and be a leader in collecting child support payments. The Civil Division is the per capita leader in the State in litigating property tax appeals. The decision to litigate these cases is founded on a belief of fairness in taxation. 12'