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14th Circuit solicitor requests step increase toward state average funding; proposes multi‑year MOU
Summary
14th Circuit Solicitor Duffy Stone asked the council to raise the county's contribution to the solicitor's office from about $8.97 per capita to the state average of $14.10 per capita (the change as presented would be about $2.8 million). Stone proposed starting at the state average and adopting a five‑year increase schedule by memorandum of
Duffy Stone, the 14th Circuit Solicitor, urged Beaufort County Council to increase the county’s contribution to the solicitor’s office so the office can recruit and retain prosecutors and reduce caseload backlogs.
Stone described his long prosecution career and said public safety and professional prosecutors are essential to victims, the community and fair process. He cited a new South Carolina Supreme Court order encouraging a three‑tier scheduling and case triage system that gives prosecutors time to prepare and try cases and urged counties to fund staffing levels that make that approach workable. Stone said the solicitor’s office previously ran a case‑reduction program that cut dockets but was supported in part by federal grant money the office could not sustain without local county support.
Stone presented county funding per capita data from the South Carolina Prosecution Coordination Commission and said Beaufort County currently funds the solicitor’s office at about $8.97 per capita while the state average is $14.10 per capita. He proposed that Beaufort start at the state average ($14.10) and adopt an MOU to increase county funding by 7% annually for five years to approach comparators such as Jasper County and others with higher per‑capita solicitor funding. Stone supplied a written report and asked council to consider the plan as an investment in timely and effective prosecutions, victim services, and the county’s Family Justice Center and training facilities.
Council members asked questions about how much of the solicitor’s budget comes from state and federal grants; Stone said some specialized units and positions are grant‑funded (for example, the special victims unit), but that local contributions are critical for planning and retention. Council members expressed support and said they would review the solicitor's detailed materials.
Ending: Stone asked for an MOU or phased implementation; council requested time to review the written materials and funding comparisons in the solicitor’s packet before making a budget decision.
