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Public defender office says TIDC-funded program is reducing county-appointed counsel costs but will require county support as grant steps down
Summary
The TIDC-funded public defender reported case-closure metrics, discretionary system improvements and a multi-year step-down grant schedule that will require an increasing county contribution beginning in the next fiscal year unless alternative funding is secured.
The public defender's office, operating under a Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) grant, told commissioners the program has closed substantial numbers of public-defense cases since it began accepting appointed work in 2023 and that the office has produced measurable savings in county-appointed counsel costs.
The presenter said the office closed 2,170 cases between May 3, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2023 and closed 1,429 cases in fiscal year 2024; for fiscal year 2025 the office was on pace to close nearly 1,986 cases by year-end. Using the county's auditor's figures for court-appointed attorney payments, the…
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