Committee approves DCJS grants for assigned counsel and public defender; salary increases made contingent on state aid

Warren County supervisors voted to accept two grant awards from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and to allocate the funds between the county Assigned Counsel Office and the Public Defender’s Office, funding discovery-reform technology, vouchers and temporary salary increases.

The committee approved the resolutions in a bundled motion after discussion. Supervisor Strainer moved to advance items 1–5 with Supervisor Gilligan seconding; the motion carried.

The grants total roughly $380,000, made up of two awards of $190,000 each, apportioned between the Public Defender’s Office and the Assigned Counsel Office by caseload. Assigned Counsel Administrator Brian said about $100,000 of the combined award will go to the assigned counsel office and the remainder to the Public Defender’s Office. “So of those two grants, they were each $190,000,” Brian said. He told the committee one grant must be used for discovery reform and the other may be used to supplement assigned counsel services.

Why it matters: county legal offices face increased workload from expanded electronic discovery and higher assigned-counsel voucher costs. The grants will fund technology to reduce staff time spent on discovery and reduce the county’s voucher payments, while also temporarily increasing public defender pay to improve retention.

Key details and how the money will be used

- Technology and subscriptions: The discovery-reform portion will pay for replacing the county’s existing records/data-management tool, Laserfiche, which Brian said has increased in cost by about 60% to more than $11,000 annually. The offices plan to move to a case-management system identified in the packet as Legal Server; an installation fee for one implementation was discussed at $42,400 and an annual subscription that committee members discussed as roughly $150/month (a prorated $1,350 for the remainder of 2025 was noted) or about $1,800 for a full year.

- Vouchers: Brian said grant money will be applied to vouchers, and that the county spends approximately $1,100,000 annually on assigned-counsel vouchers. The grant provides an opportunity to offset some of that cost.

- Salaries and table of organization: The packet and discussion show one grant portion will fund salary increases in the Public Defender’s Office. Committee members and staff clarified that increasing salaries requires a separate resolution amending the county’s table of organization and salary schedule. The county administrator told the committee he had no opposition provided that no county general funds be used now or in the future and that any amendment to implement salary increases be contingent on available state aid. The motion approved by the committee included the condition that salary adjustments be contingent on continued state funding.

Discussion and retention concerns

Assistant Attorney Coleman and Public Defender Greg Taflin (discussing retention) outlined staffing challenges. Coleman said from 2022 to the present the Public Defender’s Office recorded an average retention rate of about 54.55%, meaning nearly half of attorneys depart within a year, which the office attributed primarily to pay disparities with other work (assigned counsel rates and private practice). Taflin and others said the salary adjustments are intended to improve recruitment and retention and to stabilize mid-level staffing so attorneys can carry more complex caseloads without constant supervision.

County staff emphasized limits and next steps

County Attorney Larry and county staff flagged contract line items and timing constraints for spending the grants. Staff said there were no county match requirements for these grant awards. The committee directed staff to prepare the resolution to amend the table of organization and salary schedule (if approved) and to ensure the salary changes and related fringe costs are contingent on state aid; if the aid ceases, the committee noted the county would need to revisit sustainability and could consider options including position eliminations or other budget adjustments.

Votes and formal action

- Motion: Approve items 1–5 (accept grants; authorize subscriptions/contracts and use of grant funds for discovery reform, vouchers, and Public Defender salary increases) with amendments making salary increases contingent on state aid and requiring an amendment to the county table of organization/salary schedule. Moved by Supervisor Strainer; seconded by Supervisor Gilligan. Outcome: approved.

Clarifying details

- Two DCJS grants, $190,000 each (total ~$380,000). - Assigned counsel share: approximately $100,000 of the total (per Assigned Counsel Administrator Brian). - County voucher annual spend: approximately $1,100,000 (Brian). - Laserfiche current cost: > $11,000/year (per Brian). - Legal Server installation cited: $42,400 (installation for one office); subscription discussed as $150/month (prorated $1,350 for remainder of 2025) and approximately $1,800 for a full year. - Public Defender retention statistic cited: ~54.55% average retention since 2022 (Assistant Attorney Coleman).

Speakers

Assigned Counsel Administrator Brian; Public Defender Greg Taflin; Assistant Attorney Coleman; County Attorney Larry; Supervisor Strainer; Supervisor Gilligan; Supervisor Conover; Supervisor Driscoll; Supervisor Patrick; County Administrator (unnamed).

Ending

Committee members agreed to proceed with the bundle of resolutions and directed staff to draft the formal resolution to amend the table of organization and salary schedule if the grant-funded salary adjustments are advanced; the committee recorded the condition that salary increases are contingent on continued state aid.