Dimmit County approves interlocal agreement to join regional public defender office

Dimmit County commissioners on an unspecified date approved an interlocal agreement to participate in a regional public defender office shared with neighboring counties.

Court discussion centered on cost and whether the interlocal arrangement is more cost‑effective than appointing private counsel in felony and misdemeanor cases. A county official told the court, “We are in our budget for 56,000 a year,” and said the first-year charge to Dimmit County was expected to be roughly $34,000 because of timing differences in the program’s start and the county fiscal year.

Why it matters: County representatives said the public defender program is intended to reduce the county’s overall costs for court‑appointed attorneys. The official noted that counties typically pay set attorney fees for appointed counsel in felony cases, and a single major felony trial can cost the county tens of thousands of dollars in private attorney fees.

Details presented at the meeting: The official explained the public defender program is largely funded by the state—stated in the meeting as about 84%—with the remaining 16% split among participating counties based on caseloads. At the meeting Dimmit County’s share of that remainder was described as 15%. The official also gave a rough current estimate that the county pays about $75,000 per year on attorney fees in related matters, an amount that can vary year to year.

Court members said the interlocal agreement is a yearly contract that comes back to the commissioners’ court each budget cycle; the county will continue to perform cost analyses and reassess participation if the county’s projected share increases substantially. “I would not recommend to this court to continue with the public defenders if it was not cost effective,” the official said.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the interlocal agreement; the motion was seconded and the court voted in favor. The motion carried.