State’s Attorney Seeks Higher Trial, Travel and Publication Budgets; $439,000 in Opioid Funds Remain Unspent

State's Attorney Joe Navarro told the LaSalle County Law and Justice Committee on Aug. 26 that his office plans to increase several non‑salary budget lines — including travel, continuing legal education and trial expenses — and that the county’s opioid settlement account holds $439,623.

Navarro said the travel and conference line will rise because the office resumed sending employees to post‑COVID seminars that include lodging and meals. “We’ve started doing more and more sending people to seminars,” he said. He proposed a $4,000 increase to the conference and mileage account and said education funding also will be higher to cover required CLE hours.

The most notable request involves trial costs. Navarro said his office must pay airfare and other travel costs to bring a retired forensic biologist to testify in a DNA matter and estimated, “it’s probably gonna be about 10 to $12,000 just for his travel for 1 witness.” He told the committee he is proposing to raise the trial expense line from $25,000 this year to $30,000 for next year, and that this year’s spending is expected to reach about $20,000 after the expert is paid.

Navarro said publication costs will rise because the private vendor the office used went out of business and the county will likely return to the Ottawa newspaper for required court notices. He said publication costs could increase “at least $10 to $15,000” compared with the former vendor’s rates. He also identified contract increases the office cannot control, including a roughly $3,000 uptick in a JANO contract and ongoing Westlaw subscription costs.

On special funds, Navarro reported that the state’s opioid settlement account balance is $439,623. He said roughly $150,000 of that has been earmarked for opioid‑precaution measures and about $18,000 for research and data work; he also said the county must sign paperwork by October to participate in a further distribution. Navarro emphasized that opioid funds are restricted and audited by the attorney general’s office and that his office has turned down requests that did not meet the attorney general’s guidance.

Committee members moved Navarro’s budget to the county finance committee and voted to pay the State’s Attorney’s bills. The vote to forward the budget and to pay bills carried on voice vote.

Why it matters: Higher trial and publication costs can affect the county general fund and the State’s Attorney’s capacity to prosecute complicated felony cases; the retained opioid‑settlement money represents an available but restricted funding source for drug‑related programs if expenditures meet state rules.