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Ulster County approves pay changes after state directive to reduce public defender vacancies
Summary
The county legislature approved a resolution to amend the 2025 budget and increase pay for public defenders and assigned‑counsel staff after the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services found salaries noncompetitive and cited high vacancy and caseload problems; the county plans to use Hurrell‑Harring funding for part of the increase.
The Ulster County Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee voted Sept. 3 to amend the 2025 county budget to increase salaries and pay rates for assistant public defenders, the public defender and the assigned‑counsel administration after a directive from the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services (ILS).
Deputy County Executive Capuano told the committee the change responds to an ILS finding that Ulster County salaries for public defenders are not competitive, contributing to a high vacancy rate and overloaded caseloads that have prevented public defenders from accepting new cases.
"ILS has come down and said at this point, because our salaries are so low, they're not…
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