Public defender Danis told the court that the county’s public defender office has closed thousands of cases since it began and that the model improves constitutional compliance, reduces jail time for clients the office represents and connects defendants with community services to reduce recidivism. “Effective legal representation helps prevent wrongful convictions, and it also helps prevent excessive sentences,” Danis said, adding that the office also focuses on linking people to treatment and community supports.

Danis reviewed the legal foundation for appointed counsel (the Sixth Amendment and Gideon v. Wainwright) and the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure provisions that require counties to provide counsel for indigent defendants. She described two common delivery models: the traditional private appointed‑counsel “wheel/panel” model (fee‑for‑appointment private attorneys) and the public‑defender office model the county now uses. The public‑defender model, she said, provides salaried attorneys, an investigative and social‑work team and administrative oversight, which can make representation more consistent and allow the office to “be present in the building” and to respond swiftly to jail matters.

Danis said the public defender office is funded in part by a stepped grant from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) and that grant funding decreases over time. She urged the court to plan for the transition: some counties have folded appointed‑counsel work into public‑defender offices, with conflicts handled by outside conflict panels. Several commissioners and Danis discussed whether shifting a larger share of court‑appointed fees to the public defender office would be feasible; Danis said TIDC can support growth and that the office could request more grant funding to expand if the court and judges sign on to the plan.

Commissioners expressed support for the model but repeatedly urged the public defender to work with the county’s grants office and the judiciary to ensure sustainable funding. Commissioner Chesney praised the office’s social‑work approach, noting social workers help keep people out of jail. Commissioner Pusley asked the office to return with quarterly reports and to work with county staff on budget timing; Danis said monthly reports go to TIDC and quarterly reports go to the oversight board.

Danis said the office currently has nine lawyers and expected to be fully staffed within days; she emphasized that conflicts of interest will require the court to preserve a panel of outside counsel for cases the public defender cannot take. She cited case studies that, she said, demonstrated jail‑time reductions and cost savings when the public defender intervened early.

No votes were taken. Commissioners told the public defender they support the office’s work but asked for continued reporting, for grant planning and for a timeline describing what a larger transfer of appointed work would require.

Ending: The public defender agreed to provide regular reports to the court and to coordinate with grants staff and the judiciary during the current budget season to explore sustainable funding alternatives.