Tompkins County committee approves contingent funds to add assistant county attorney

Tompkins County’s Budget, Capital and Personnel Committee voted unanimously on May 8 to appropriate contingent funds to create and staff an assistant county attorney position for the remainder of 2025.

County Attorney Maury said the office’s current attorney staffing “is really not a sustainable operation” and warned the county was “one emergency away from having to shut down significant portions of what we do.” The committee approved a half‑year appropriation to fund the position from July through December and added the cost to fiscal targets going into the 2026 budget process.

The nut graf: committee members and county administration described rising workloads — including family‑court appearances, increasing Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests and other litigation — and said additional attorney capacity is needed to maintain timely legal support across departments. The appropriation funds an initial hiring period; committee members said they expect to return during budget season to request full‑year funding if needed.

Maury told the committee that without additional attorney hours, routine contracts, prosecutions and legal reviews could be delayed when current attorneys are required in court or on urgent matters. County Administrator Corso said the budget office supports the request as a “critical investment.” Committee member Blake asked for clarification on timing and cost; Blake noted the appropriation covers a half year and that the full‑year cost would be addressed later.

The committee discussed how FOIL requests and family‑court litigation have increased in volume and complexity and that the new position would handle research, fact gathering and routine litigation tasks to allow senior attorneys to focus on higher‑level matters. Maury described examples of recent coverage strains and said the office has already added a paralegal to help but still needs attorney capacity.

The formal action: the committee approved the contingent‑fund appropriation to create the assistant county attorney position, with Shauna Black moving the resolution and Veronica Pillar seconding it. The vote was recorded as unanimous.

The committee directed staff to proceed with recruitment and to return with budget‑year estimates for inclusion in the 2026 fiscal targets.

The committee chair adjourned the discussion after the unanimous vote; members praised the county attorney’s office for its work and urged prompt recruitment.

Ending: The new assistant county attorney is expected to begin recruitment immediately; the committee will consider full‑year funding as part of next year’s budget process.