Mike Quinlan, the county's state's attorney, presented his office's budget to the Finance Committee on June 24, saying the office sought a small increase largely tied to appellate-prosecutor membership and training but remained below neighboring counties' projected staffing costs.

Quinlan told the committee the single largest contributor to the modest increase was the county's contribution to the appellate prosecutor group, which moved to $12,000 and provides appellate representation and legal research not available in the county's limited Illinois-only Westlaw subscription. "They not only do all of our appeals, but they're also a source of excellent advice," Quinlan said.

Quinlan discussed continuing legal education (CLE) rules and his office's approach to controlling travel and lodging costs: he and two assistants intend to complete required CLE hours online where possible rather than attend out-of-town seminars.

On grant-funded staff, Quinlan said one assistant's salary is supported by a grant administered through a regional partner and that the county has a victim-witness coordinator position (Britney) whose salary has been reimbursed through a federal pass-through grant; he said that grant is expected to be renewed for another three years. "That grant will be renewed for another 3 years," he said.

The presentation included a lengthy discussion of long-running enforcement of cluttered and nuisance properties. Quinlan described the county's process: notice letters, civil complaints filed by outside counsel where necessary, and potential recovery of enforcement costs through judgments and liens on property. He quoted an experienced outside attorney's past fee estimate and gave a working figure for county budgeting: "My understanding... the cost is $2,000 to ultimately get a property in compliance," he said, adding those costs are typically recoverable when a property is later sold.

Quinlan urged the county to weigh the decision to pursue enforcement against the up-front expense, noting the strategy of pursuing a few long-standing cases to signal the county intends to enforce property standards. He also said staff capacity limits how much the state's attorney's office can absorb without outside counsel, and he recommended close coordination between county leadership and outside counsel (George, the long-serving municipal attorney) when litigation is required.

No formal motion was made during the hearing; Quinlan's remarks were part of the annual departmental budget presentations and will inform the committee's appropriation decisions.