Personnel committee signs off on new DA office positions to address discovery workload

The Chemung County Personnel Committee on Oct. 25 approved resolutions to create three full‑time secretary positions for the District Attorney’s Office and a full‑time senior account clerk position for the Department of Public Works, citing heavy discovery demands and staffing turnover.

Prosecutors and DA office staff described discovery obligations as onerous and time‑consuming, saying the office regularly must process large volumes of documents and evidence for criminal cases. The DA’s staff said a current murder case alone has produced dozens of investigative leads and hundreds of pages of material that require review and distribution to defense counsel.

“When I say three positions, I know that's a lot. But considering how much work there is for discovery, I can't press upon you how much work there is,” said a DA office speaker. Staff described instances where laboratory reports and other materials arrive late in the case cycle and require printing and manual handling, creating backlogs that slow case processing.

Committee members asked how the positions would be funded. Witnesses said the office has multiple grants (described in the meeting as ATP, CARB, aid‑to‑prosecution and discovery funding) and some remaining balances that can be used; the county executive’s office has discussed centralizing a fiscal supervisor role to manage grant reporting and payroll. The committee noted funding for attorney salaries exists but that support staff funding may require budget adjustments for 2025.

The motions to authorize the new positions were moved, seconded and carried by voice vote.

The resolutions creating the positions instruct county staff to finalize job descriptions and funding sources during budget adjustments and grant accounting.