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Graham County approves FY26 indigent defense contracts for nine attorneys
Summary
At a regular meeting, the Graham County Board of Supervisors approved nine indigent defense contracts for fiscal year 2026 (six adult, three juvenile), with terms mirroring FY25 and no pay increases; several contracts include stipends tied to specialty courts.
Graham County—oard of Supervisors voted unanimously at a regular meeting to approve nine indigent defense contracts for fiscal year 2026, covering six adult defense agreements and three juvenile defense agreements, county staff said.
The contracts, presented by Mindy Young of the Superior Court, largely mirror the terms used in fiscal year 2025: 140-case adult appointment baselines for adult contracts, no across-the-board pay increases and a handful of annual stipends tied to specialty courts. "This is gonna be very cumbersome because I have, I think, 9 contracts to present," Mindy Young told the board while summarizing the items.
The approvals fund the court-appointed attorneys who represent defendants who cannot afford private counsel. A board member noted that indigent defense consumes a substantial portion of county expense for legal representation, saying the program "is part of our responsibility to the citizens" and that "that's over $600,000 a year that we use in supporting people, their rights for legal representation." The board recorded unanimous votes on each contract.
Most contracts duplicate FY25 language and case-load expectations. Key details the board heard include: - Dennis P. McCarthy: Adult indigent defense agreement for FY26; contract mirrors FY25; includes a $5,000 annual stipend for his role as legal advocate for the Graham County Adult Veterans and Community Wellness Court; Superior Court staff said the community wellness program currently serves about 40 individuals. - Josie Y. Lopez: Adult and juvenile contracts are separate. The adult FY26 contract mirrors FY25 (140-case baseline plus dependencies); the juvenile contract includes an annual stipend for Lopez as legal advocate for the Graham County Juvenile Treatment Court. Board members highlighted her bilingual ability as important for representing clients for whom English is a second language. - Rebecca Johnson: Separate adult and juvenile FY26 contracts mirror FY25. Johnson receives an annual stipend for serving as legal advocate for the adult treatment court (formerly "drug court"); she was reported to be serving more than 25 individuals in that specialty program. Her juvenile contract does not include a stipend. - Daisy Flores: Adult indigent defense contract for FY26 mirrors FY25; she does not provide specialty-court services and therefore receives no stipend; contract covers 140 adult cases plus dependencies and best-interest appointments. - Raymond Geiser: Adult and juvenile contracts were presented separately. Geiser—ame on mid-FY25 on a prorated juvenile contract to help with a high caseload; his FY26 adult contract mirrors FY25 and does not include a specialty-court stipend. The juvenile contract likewise mirrors prior terms and includes no stipend. - Steven (Stephen) Robertson: Adult indigent defense agreement for FY26 mirrors FY25; he came on board in FY25 and does not receive a specialty-court stipend. His contract includes juvenile dependencies and Bureau of Indian Affairs appointments as applicable.
Votes at a glance: each contract was moved and seconded during the meeting and approved by voice vote with recorded "aye" responses and no recorded nays. The board confirmed that the contracts contain no increases or modifications from FY25 and remain subject to the county pproval process.
Board members and staff emphasized the county's obligation to provide court-appointed counsel and thanked the attorneys for taking difficult cases. One supervisor commented that indigent defense is not the most lucrative area of law, but that the attorneys provide an important service that helps reduce recidivism and provide access to justice.
The contracts will take effect in July and run through June of fiscal year 2026 unless otherwise noted in individual contract language, which the Superior Court staff indicated remains consistent with FY25. The county will continue separate appointment processes for juvenile delinquency matters when attorneys hold distinct juvenile contracts.
