Kenosha Countylegislative committee members on Oct. 21 approved the county legal office budget, which a county staff member said totals "just shy of $950,000" and is dominated by fixed costs such as salaries and insurance.

The staff member, who presented the proposal to the oversight committee, said 88% of the budget is fixed and about 12% (roughly $107,000) is discretionary. "My requested increase over last year's budget is 0, and the entirety of the budget is only $16,804 over last year's budget," the presenter said.

The budget matter matters to taxpayers and county operations because the legal office oversees outside counsel use, litigation exposure and compliance work. Committee members pressed the presenter on the legal-fees line, staffing levels and how unspent funds are handled.

Key details from the presentation and committee discussion:

- Total and composition: The presenter described the office budget as just under $950,000, with about 88% devoted to fixed costs (salaries, insurance and benefits) and roughly 12% available for discretionary use. He said the discretionary portion is approximately $107,000.

- Year-over-year change: The presenter said he requested no net increase to discretionary allocations and that the full budget was about $16,804 higher than the previous year.

- Staffing: The legal office employs six people: four attorneys and two support staff. The organizational chart lists 5.7 full-time-equivalent positions because small portions of two employees' time are charged to other units.

- Legal fees and trial costs: The legal-fees line is budgeted at $77,000. A committee member noted that the office had spent roughly $21,000 to $22,000 in the first six months and asked whether the full line would be used. The presenter said the county's budget language provides for rollover: "There's language in the budget resolution that says anything we don't spend rolls over." He added that while he assumes the office will spend its allocation, unspent money is typically rolled into the next closeout.

- Use of outside counsel: The presenter described several reasons the county retains outside counsel: conflicts of interest, specialized expertise (for example, on an Army Corps of Engineers project), and time-sensitive or complex matters such as employment litigation or ethics investigations.

- Trial-related costs: The presenter distinguished trial costs (filing, service fees, transcripts, postage) from outside-counsel fees and said those are budgeted separately under "trial costs."

- Subscriptions, resources and efficiency measures: The office budgets for online legal research, bar materials and physical reference books. The presenter noted the county launched an updated online, interactive ordinance resource this year and said some physical books have been moved to electronic formats to save money.

- Continuing legal education and memberships: Attorneys in the office must meet licensure requirements, including continuing legal education (30 credits every two years) and membership in the State Bar of Wisconsin. The presenter said those costs and seminars are part of staff development expenses.

- Miscellaneous claims handling: Committee members asked why the county sometimes receives claims that appear to name multiple local governments (for example, a city case sent to the county). The presenter said plaintiffs' counsel sometimes name multiple potential defendants and that the county typically forwards such notices to its insurer, which may send a letter explaining the county is not responsible.

Committee response and vote

Committee members asked follow-up questions about the legal-fees line, the possibility of unusual trial expenses in 2026 and whether the current six-person staff is sufficient. The presenter said he was "very comfortable" with the current staffing level and that the office has been staffed that way for over 15 years.

A motion to approve the budget was moved and seconded; the committee approved the legal office budget unanimously.

Looking ahead, the presenter and committee noted that litigation and unforeseen matters could increase legal spending in future years, and that the county's rollover language would apply to any unspent funds at closeout.