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County Council approves $150,000 to cover outside counsel for public defender
Summary
Vanderburgh County Council approved a $150,000 appropriation to help the public defender cover outside counsel costs after the office reported heavy caseloads and growing outsourcing expense.
Vanderburgh County Council on a voice vote approved a $150,000 appropriation to help the public defender’s office pay outside counsel for cases the office cannot staff.
The money was requested after the public defender described months-long caseload pressures that have forced the office to retain outside lawyers at an hourly rate. The council approved the allocation after a lengthy discussion of costs, caseload standards and ways to reduce future outsourcing.
The public defender, identified in the meeting as Steve, told the council the office receives new felony cases at a rate that has outpaced its capacity since 2023. “I think the current ones that we have that Crystal has on her desk are somewhere in 180 some odd thousand dollars,” Steve said when asked about outstanding vendor bills, adding…
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