Albany County approves $1,500 monthly stipend for Public Defender under Wyoming statute

The Albany County Commissioners voted to provide a monthly stipend of $1,500 to the Public Defender’s Office, beginning July 1 (the start of the county fiscal year), to partially offset private office rent under Wyoming Statute 7-6-111.

Patty Bennett, supervisor of the Public Defender’s Office, told the board that the statute requires counties to provide office space or a stipend but offers no guidance on how to calculate an amount. "They've said you have to do this statement, but there's no guidance whatsoever in the statute as to what that should look like," Bennett said. She asked the board to approve the monthly stipend to help cover rent for the office at 412 South Second Street (the Hollyhock Building).

County staff provided lease details: the office occupies roughly 3,667 square feet on the first floor; annual rent for the current lease year (through June 30, 2025) is $67,980, rising to $70,019 for July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, and (as presented at the meeting) to about $76,051.65 in the final lease year. Bennett said the office needs space for four attorneys and two legal assistants and that case loads remain substantial: fiscal year 2024 totals provided to the board were about 170 felony cases, 444 misdemeanor cases and 22 juvenile cases (637 case filings overall), with fiscal year 2025-to-date counts (starting July 1, 2024) of roughly 114 felonies, 222 misdemeanors and 4 juvenile cases reported at the meeting.

Commissioners discussed alternatives, including locating the office in county courthouse space in the future, and noted the county’s broader fiscal pressures. After discussion the board approved the stipend and directed that payments begin July 1 to align with the county budget year.

Next steps: the stipend will be included in county budgeting for FY2026; staff and the Public Defender’s Office will track lease and occupancy and will revisit space options should county facilities become available.