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LaSalle County public defender says Safety Act grant will fund staff stipends, equipment
Summary
Public Defender Ryan Hamer told the Law and Justice Committee the office will use Safety Act grant funds — about $109,000 last year — to buy computers, printers and pay employee stipends; payroll taxes and IMRF contributions will come from the grant and not county general funds.
LaSalle County Public Defender Ryan Hamer told the Law and Justice Committee the office will use Safety Act grant funds to buy equipment and give stipends to staff, and that those payments will not come from LaSalle County’s general budget.
Hamer said the Safety Act went into effect in September 2023 and the state provided grant money to counties to help offset increased public defender workload. "This is not LaSalle County money — it doesn't affect LaSalle County budget," Hamer said, adding that roughly $109,000 came in last year and similar funds arrived again this year.
Hamer said authorized uses of the funds include stipends for public defender office employees (not including the public defender's own salary), computer equipment and office supplies. He said he has a memorandum for staff to acknowledge that the stipends depend on continued state funding: "...there's no guarantee that these funds continue in the future — they could be revoked, could be reduced — so each person signed off and said yes I understand that the County of LaSalle is under no obligation to continue it if that grant money goes away," Hamer said.
Hamer said payroll taxes and retirement contributions (IMRF) for the paid positions come from the grant. He also told the committee the office added a part-time employee late in the year; that position works about 15 hours per week and the salary is paid from the Safety Act grant.
Committee members did not make a formal motion on the funding during the Law and Justice meeting; Hamer said he previously presented the proposed budget and that Judge Ryan had approved the expenditure reporting before forwarding it to the state. No board action was recorded at this meeting specifically approving the stipends.
Hamer named Mark Anderson as the staff member who drafted the memorandum acknowledging the conditional nature of the stipends and said the office will use similar signed acknowledgements this year. He said stipend amounts will be based on tenure and duties. Hamer emphasized the office's intent to be transparent about grant usage.
The committee did not record additional directions or formal amendments regarding the Safety Act funds during the meeting. Future changes to the stipend program, or to equipment purchases, would depend on the continuation and size of the state grant.
