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Wichita County raises pay, reassigns positions in mental health defense unit
Summary
The Wichita County Commissioners on April 21 approved budget changes to raise salaries for two mental-health-related defense positions, eliminate a grant-funded investigator post and reassign the incumbent to a vacant county post to streamline services for defendants with mental health needs.
On April 21, 2025 the Wichita County Commissioners Court approved an amendment to the 2025 budget that raises maximum salaries for two mental-health-related positions, eliminates one grant-funded investigator position and reassigns the current investigator to a vacant county post.
The change, approved unanimously, increases the maximum salary for Position 22 (assistant public defender, mental health) from $85,000 to $103,000 and raises Position 24 (assistant mental health caseworker) from $42,500 to $57,000; Position 23 (the investigator grant position) was eliminated, and the current employee will be moved to a vacant position outside the grant. The court recorded the motion as carrying 5-0.
Mister Bose, a county staff member who presented the request, said the office is “essentially streamlining” by shifting responsibilities and caseloads to the remaining employees after the investigator post became vacant. “We lost that employee. The other folks stepped up and have been operating, extremely efficiently and well, and taken that workload from that vacant position,” Bose said. He said the proposed salary increases are meant to compensate staff for added responsibilities and to retain experienced attorneys and caseworkers.
Bose described the unit as a dedicated mental health division that manages competency and sanity evaluations and coordinates related court processes for criminal defendants with mental health concerns. He told the court the division provides a single point of contact for judges and helps jail staff and clients complete applications and paperwork for representation and hospital-related matters.
Commissioners raised retention concerns amid competition from other public defender offices. Commissioner Beauchamp, who moved the amendment, and Commissioner Mueller, who seconded it, said the increases aim to keep specialized staff on the county payroll. One commissioner noted the local market for attorneys has become more competitive and said the office had previously struggled to fill the assistant public defender slot at prior pay levels.
The motion to amend the 2025 budget for Department 465 passed on a voice vote, recorded as 5-0.
The change will proceed with the county’s standard administrative steps for implementing budget amendments and with final approval processes required by the grant administrator (TIDC) where applicable.
