Commissioner Moore urged the Lorain County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 1 to explore creating a county Public Defender's Office, saying the county spent about $3.8 million in 2024 on court‑appointed private attorneys for indigent defense. "These costs are unsustainable," Moore said, arguing a staffed public defender office could produce predictable budgets and higher state reimbursement rates.

Moore cited counties with staffed public defender offices as examples of lower per‑case cost and better administrative transparency and said national research shows public defender offices can reduce pretrial detention and case duration. "Now it's time for Lorain County to join the 26 other counties that have modernized indigent defense systems," he said. Moore said centralizing billing and staffing could help the county capture higher state reimbursement percentages, which he said can reach up to 82 percent of indigent defense costs under current state rules.

Moore said he encountered limits in gathering data from the Ohio Public Defender's Office and recommended inviting their staff to make a presentation in a public meeting so the three commissioners could ask questions directly. Commissioners agreed to schedule a presentation on a weekday (suggested Tuesday) and Moore asked that representatives from the prosecutor’s office and the courts be invited to participate in the discussion as stakeholders.

No formal vote was taken to change county policy. The board agreed to seek a public presentation and additional data from the Ohio Public Defender's Office as a next step before any decision on establishing a county office.

Why it matters: Indigent defense is a compulsory public service; how the county organizes and pays for it affects county budgets, state reimbursement, attorney assignment practices and the rights of defendants.

Details and evidence: Moore presented county spending figures (stated as $3.8 million in 2024) and noted a distribution pattern among private assigned counsel; he also referenced higher reimbursement rates for centralized offices and national research on public defender outcomes. He proposed inviting the Ohio Public Defender's Office to brief the commissioners and suggested inviting the Lorain County Prosecutor and representatives of the courts to observe and participate.

Next steps: County staff were directed to contact the Ohio Public Defender's Office to arrange a public presentation; the board requested that the prosecutor's office and court representatives attend so commissioners can pose questions and collect the information needed to evaluate whether to create a Local Public Defender's Office.