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Albany County Legislature unanimously advances indigent defense grant amendments and awards
Summary
The Legislature authorized acceptance of a $1,360,697 Division of Criminal Justice Services grant for aid-to-defense programs and approved amendments to state indigent legal services contracts to fully use awarded funds. Lawmakers recorded motions and voice votes to move the contracts and budget amendments forward.
The Albany County Legislature voted Oct. 29 to accept state grant funding and to authorize related budget amendments for the county’s public defender operation.
Chief Assistant Public Defender Matthew Alburn told the Legislature the public defender’s office, alternate public defender office and assigned counsel program seek to accept $1,360,697 in awards from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services to support aid-to-defense discovery reform and supplemental programs covering April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026. "These direct awards are based on DCJS formulas, cover 04/01/2025 to 03/31/2026, and are expected to be reoccurring," Alburn said, adding there are no county matches.
The Legislature also authorized an amendment to Distribution Number 11 with the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services and related 2025 budget modifications to fully utilize grant funds after periods of assistant public defender vacancies. Alburn said the amendment is necessary because vacancies reduced earlier spending under the grant.
Separately, Alburn described an amendment to a second statewide expansion grant with the Office of Indigent Legal Services that would extend the term and increase funding from $29,538,230 to $31,310,523.81 to continue work that began under an earlier expansion starting April 1, 2018.
On each item the chair called for motions and recorded voice votes. For the DCJS award and the OILS amendments the motion carried on recorded "ayes" with no opposition noted during the committee session.
The actions advance contract amendments and budget adjustments to the full Legislature for final processing, and staff said the awards are expected to recur under state formulas.
