Yamhill County DA presses budget committee to restore two prosecutor positions amid rising caseloads

Yamhill County District Attorney Kate Lynch told the county budget committee on the second day of hearings that the criminal prosecution division is seeking restoration of two entry-level deputy district attorney (DDA I) positions that were cut from last year—s budget.

Lynch, who took office less than six months ago, said the office reduced personnel to balance its budget after a drop in grant revenues and increases in retirement and benefit costs. She said those two positions were vacant at the time and therefore chosen for elimination to reduce immediate impact on current staff.

The DA outlined the prosecution office—s workload in 2024: roughly 457 felony prosecutions, 1,114 misdemeanors and more than 1,100 contempt matters. Lynch said higher-complexity felony work requires sustained attention and that felony-level prosecutors are absorbing misdemeanor dockets. She warned the current staffing pattern is not sustainable long term, especially if the county absorbs additional municipal misdemeanors from cities that plan to curtail local prosecution.

Lynch emphasized personnel costs have risen because the state reclassified DDAs into the —police and fire— PERS tier, increasing retirement rates for prosecutors. That reclassification, combined with step increases and reduced grant funding, left the office —short— in the current fiscal year, Lynch said. She told the committee the office has worked to reduce non-personnel spending and that the only viable near-term cuts remaining would be to vacant positions.

Support Enforcement: separate budget, federal match

Lynch also briefed the panel on the county—s Support Enforcement Division (child support), which she described as —an excellent program—. That fund is in better financial shape because federal matching pays roughly two-thirds of the division—s costs. The DA reported 2024 collections of about $5.3 million on behalf of county families, a level similar to 2023. Lynch said the department submitted a balanced support enforcement budget and reported an audited beginning balance that was higher than the adopted budgeted beginning balance.

Committee questions and context

Budget committee members pressed Lynch on recruitment and retention challenges, asking whether pay, PERS changes or national law-school hiring trends accounted for fewer applicants for DDA posts. Lynch said high student debt and recruiting dynamics (including Public Service Loan Forgiveness incentives) affect prosecutors— career choices. She noted other offices statewide are also having difficulty filling specialty and behavioral-health positions.

Lynch also described how legislation and local decisions could affect her office: if McMinnville or other cities stop prosecuting certain misdemeanor cases, the DA—s office would face increased workload and must prioritize cases based on public-safety risk. She listed DUII, domestic violence and child-abuse matters as high priorities.

What the DA requested

Lynch said the office is seeking to restore two DDA I positions and that restoring them would reduce long-term risk to case quality and burnout. She said she and her staff will do their best with current resources but asked the committee to weigh the request against competing budget pressures. Lynch did not offer a specific dollar figure in the presentation; that information appeared in her written materials to the committee.

Why it matters

The DA—s staffing level directly affects how quickly and robustly the county prosecutes felony and misdemeanor cases and how the office supports victims and complex investigations. The committee must weigh the request against countywide constraints: rising personnel costs from PERS and insurance, limited discretionary funding and competing demands across public safety, human services and infrastructure.

What happens next

Lynch said she and staff will continue to explore efficiencies and recruitment options while the committee considers whether to restore the two DDA positions in the coming deliberations and final budget actions.