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Public Defender Council seeks funding for juvenile conflict manager and West Georgia staffing; describes caseload and contract rates
Summary
Georgia Public Defender Council requested funding to backfill a juvenile conflict division manager position and to provide temporary funding for new West Georgia public defender staff; officials described starting salaries, caseload differences and contractor rates for complex cases.
Representatives of the Georgia Public Defender Council (GPDC) told the subcommittee they are requesting funding to cover a juvenile conflict-division manager position established in a supplemental appropriation and to provide six months of funding for a public defender, investigator and administrative staff in the newly split West Georgia Judicial Circuit.
GPDC representatives said the juvenile conflict division manager post (requested at $226,517 in the tracking sheet) was filled last fiscal year but has been paid from existing GPDC accounts while awaiting the supplemental budget appropriation. They described the role as the coordinator for conflict-appointed attorneys in complex juvenile cases where multiple defendants require separate counsel and emphasized the position’s workload in coordinating and training conflict counsel.
On the West Georgia circuit request, GPDC asked for $181,797 in the amended budget for one public defender, one investigator and two administrative staff; GPDC said that figure covered a six-month funding window in the amended year. GPDC also noted a reduction of $61,188 tied to an assistant public defender position that was not needed because SB 30347 did not pass.
Why it matters: GPDC said its package is designed to ensure representation in multi-defendant juvenile matters and to staff the new West Georgia circuit while longer-term budget decisions are made in the FY26 request. Agency representatives described a starting total compensation target of about $72,000 for public defenders when county supplements are included; they said vacancy rates have improved since earlier years and estimated turnover at roughly 10–15% currently. GPDC explained that complex, multi-defendant or RICO-style trials are costly; the council’s contracting model aims for per-case payments (e.g., $10,000 for recall cases, $7,500 for non-recall cases) rather than an hourly rate for most external contracts; GPDC said one Fulton County contract ultimately cost around $60,000.
Nut graf: The requests are operational and intended to fill immediate representation gaps for juveniles and newly formed circuits; GPDC asked the committee to fund positions in the near term while the council continues to manage vacancies and contractor usage.
Ending: The committee asked GPDC to provide more specific vacancy counts and to continue to coordinate with the subcommittee on staffing and contract needs.
