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State's attorney seeks legal secretary hire, warns juvenile diversion funding may need local support
Summary
State's Attorney Michael requested a new legal secretary and outlined juvenile diversion programming. He said the county's juvenile diversion coordinator is grant‑funded through a three‑year grant and that the county may need to fund youth diversion and teen‑court programs after grant expiration.
State's Attorney Michael presented his office’s budget request and asked commissioners to consider funding a new legal secretary and to prepare for potential future county funding of juvenile diversion services.
Michael said the legal secretary position would likely cost about $60,000–$65,000 per year including benefits; he asked the county to consider hiring at a step above entry level to attract an experienced candidate. He described current workload pressures in the office — staffing shortfalls, work tied to juvenile and welfare cases, and record/document needs — and said trained paralegals are spending a substantial portion of their time on public reception and routine administrative tasks rather than legal research and drafting.
On juvenile services, Michael explained that Clay County participates in a three‑year juvenile diversion grant (the county is entering year two of the grant). The grant funds a juvenile diversion coordinator who provides conditional release and case‑management services designed to keep some young people out of the state juvenile detention center (JDC). Michael said the program’s state reimbursement structure is complex; under current grant rules the county may need to fund the diversion coordinator after the grant ends (projected July 1, 2027 for full local responsibility if not renewed). He described teen court as an alternative diversion model that serves different cases but said teen court may be increasingly expensive and that some counties are being asked to shoulder more of its cost. The county’s teen‑court line item has grown from $3,500 in earlier years to $7,000 in recent budgets; the provider (Boys & Girls Club) has asked counties to consider larger contributions as state funding changes.
Michael also raised a statewide issue: the South Dakota Bar Association has recommended the state Supreme Court adopt mandatory continuing legal education (CLE) for attorneys. He said that change — if adopted — would likely increase training costs and travel for county prosecutors who would need to comply.
Ending: The county did not make a funding decision at the meeting; Michael said he would return with more precise salary and program data for final budget deliberations.
