Quinn Hall, associate commission administrator, briefed the board on the county’s public defender budget and a pending change in how a managing public defender will be funded.

Hall said the county is statutorily required to provide public defender services and that costs can fluctuate substantially year to year depending on caseload and conflict attorney use. The Indigent Defense Council (IDC) intends to hire a managing public defender for the southern half of the state; Hall said that the roughly $50,000 the county previously recorded as a partial salary reimbursement for a managing public defender likely will be paid directly to the IDC and will not appear as county revenue next year. The county would still receive the service, but the pay and bookkeeping would be handled by the IDC rather than appearing as both revenue and expense on the county’s books.

Why it matters: Hall told commissioners that while the county should benefit operationally from IDC hiring the manager, the change will remove the corresponding grant revenue and related expense from the county’s budget entries. County staff and commissioners asked for written confirmation from the IDC so the tentative 2026 budget can reflect the correct revenue and expense lines. Hall said she would follow up by email with clarification and paperwork.

Discussion and next steps: Commissioners asked whether some revenue might appear for part of the fiscal year if the IDC arrangement begins mid‑year; staff said that is possible (for July–December) and that they would confirm timing and the appropriate 2026 budget entry. Commissioners requested two specific clarifications for the tentative budget: whether any IDC or other grant funds should be expected in 2026 and whether the county should continue to budget an expense for a managing public defender. Hall noted the county has historically received a grant reimbursement (often shown as a line item) that appears irregularly because of the state fiscal cycle, and recommended staff confirm the payment timing and whether the county should budget zero grant revenue for 2026 or a partial amount.

Ending: Hall committed to follow up with the IDC and return a clarified revenue/expense estimate for the public defender category before the tentative budget is finalized.