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Law department to shift indigent defense billing to per‑case model; one litigator position to be filled
Summary
The city’s law director told council staff the Summit County Legal Defender’s Office will move to per‑case billing and the county will seek state reimbursement; the change should reduce variability in the city’s payments and align Akron with other municipalities.
Deb Matts, director of law, told the budget committee the city will change how it pays the Summit County Legal Defender’s Office for indigent defense services. Under the new arrangement, Matts said, the legal defenders will bill the county at a per‑case rate (the department referenced roughly $230 per case as the going rate), the county will file for state reimbursement and Akron will be billed only for the unreimbursed portion of its cases.
Matts said the state currently reimburses an estimated 72% of eligible indigent‑defense costs; under the new billing arrangement Akon’s share should reflect the unreimbursed remainder rather than a fixed flat fee. Matts said the change aims to preserve indigent‑defense services while aligning Akron’s costs with actual case volumes.
Matts also said the civil division needs to fill a litigator position and that the criminal division has recently added and filled a floating prosecutorial position to help cover vacations and multi‑defendant cases. The law department budget also includes items for support of the citizens police oversight board and modest equipment for the Akron Civil Rights Commission.
Why it matters: The billing change affects how much the city pays for appointed defense services and may alter year‑to‑year budget volatility caused by fluctuations in case counts. Council members asked for a breakdown of outside counsel costs; Matts and staff said they will provide supplemental figures.
No formal votes were taken during the presentation.
