Associated Press - September 16, 2009 4:15 PM ET

Corrected Version

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Officials in a rural Nebraska county want the state Supreme Court to settle a budget fight over the power to hire, a case that could have ramifications across the state.

At the center of it all is Nance County Attorney Rodney Wetovick's sister - hired by her brother for a full-time job that county supervisors say could be done with cheaper, part-time help.

The case will test how much power county boards have to set the budgets of elected officials.

For elected officials such as Wetovick, the case could help determine how much power they have to run their offices as they see fit.

A hearing before the state high court is scheduled for next month. The Nance County District Court mostly sided with Wetovick last year.

On the Net:

Nance County: http://www.co.nance.ne.us/

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