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Prosecutor outlines steep budget increases, recruitment incentives and $30K–$40K IT migration costs
Summary
Prosecutor Jody told commissioners the office has large budget increases tied to salary adjustments, recruitment and retention measures, and equipment/software needs including a required migration from COPS to Matrix triggered by House Bill 96. Commissioners pressed for reconciled expense figures.
Prosecutor Jody presented the office—s 2026 budget requests on Nov. 6, saying the office needs to recruit and retain experienced attorneys amid widespread vacancies and competition from neighboring counties.
Jody said openings had been posted for months with few or no resumes and that the office is experiencing increased case volume and complexity across juvenile, appellate and civil dockets. "The citizens of Richland County deserve competent, talented, attorneys who are qualified, as well as, experience there," Jody said during the presentation, citing long vacancy periods and the need to reduce time to review new cases.
To address recruitment and retention, the office proposed a package of modest stipends and hiring incentives: mental-health stipends (previously requested in 2023), intern stipends (about $500), a proposed uniform/outfitting stipend (discussed as $250 per attorney and $100 per support staff) and a longevity/retention line. Jody said some items would not be implemented for 2026 pending further discussion.
The office also requested equipment and contract funds: replacement of roughly 14 computers, a laptop/smart-TV setup for handling large digital evidence, Adobe licenses for staff to streamline PDF processing, and a migration from COPS into a Matrix interface required under House Bill 96 (cybersecurity law effective Sept. 30). Jody said vendor quotes for the COPS-to-Matrix migration were in the roughly $30,000 range (with an allowance up to $40,000 for unforeseen needs) and that laptop replacements could be funded from unused 2025 equipment funds.
On expert fees, Jody said the office can use reimbursement programs from the attorney general—s office for some expert expenses but needs an upfront mechanism to pay experts and deposit reimbursements back into the general fund.
Commissioners pressed for clarity on accounting: one commissioner cited Munis figures showing prosecutor expenses rising from roughly $1.08 million in 2023 to nearly $3.0 million in the 2026 request and asked for itemized support. Jody said differences in totals stem from grant-funded positions, a countywide salary survey and reclassification of headcount and pledged to provide the itemized numbers.
No final funding decisions were made; commissioners asked staff to reconcile the accounting and supply follow-up information before budget adoption.
