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Public defender reports larger caseload share and pay increases but remains below state median
Summary
The Vermillion County representative for the three‑county public defender office said the county’s share of the joint office is falling (from 41% to 37.3% of funding share) while local case filings remain high; staff asked the council to preserve attorney positions after state guidance pushed pay increases for court‑appointed counsel.
A representative of the three‑county public defender office told Vermillion County budget reviewers that the county’s share of the joint office budget fell from about 41% in 2025 to an estimated 37.3% in 2026, a reduction the speaker said amounts to nearly $10,000.
The speaker said Vermillion County filed more cases than one of the partner counties in the last four quarters but not by a large margin. The office requested pay increases for attorneys after new guidance from the commission that oversees court‑appointed attorneys — the speaker said the increase raised local salaries closer to the state median. “Even with this budget, we're still below, but not by so much,” the speaker said, adding that the shortage of attorneys in Indiana persists.
Payroll questions: the representative identified differences in fringe‑benefit calculations and said Social Security, Medicare and PERF totals did not match the office’s submitted figures. “It appears to me that they didn't include the human resources and the cost records in those amounts,” the speaker said, and asked staff to confirm whether the county auditor’s office omitted those items when compiling the county form.
Interpreters and court costs: the speaker said interpreters have been used in neighboring counties and that some interpreter costs are billed to courts; the office would pay for interpreters when not covered by the court.
Nut graf: The public‑defender representative asked the council to preserve attorney staffing and to verify payroll fringe calculations after state guidance increased pay for court‑appointed counsel; no formal budget decision was made at the informational hearing.
Additional details: the representative provided copies of case counts for the last four quarters and said previous questions about per‑county caseloads prompted the handout. The speaker concluded by noting the office remains below the state median for court‑appointed attorney pay despite recent increases and reiterated concerns about statewide attorney shortages.
Ending: County staff said they would double‑check payroll computations with the auditor’s office and follow up before the formal budget adoption.
