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Dimmit County officials weigh costs of joining regional public‑defender interlocal
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Summary
County officials said they budgeted $56,000 for a regional public‑defender service but expect the first year’s charge to be about $34,000; state grants cover the majority of the office, and commissioners were told to perform a cost analysis before committing long term.
Presiding official at the Dimmit County commissioners court said the county had budgeted $56,000 for participation in a regional public‑defender office but that the first year’s county charge is likely to be about $34,000 because the program did not begin until after the county fiscal year started.
The presiding official said the public‑defender interlocal is funded primarily by the state and that "the state is paying about 80 per 84% of that budget," leaving roughly 16% to be split among the three participating counties. He described the split as driven by case loads and gave approximate annual case counts used to allocate costs: Maverick County about 1,000 cases, Dimmit County about 200–250, and the third county about 100.
"We moved it in our budget for 56,000 a year," the presiding official said, adding that "about 34,000 instead of the 56,000" will likely be charged to Dimmit County in the first year because of timing. He also warned commissioners that certain felony trials — "we do have about 2 murder cases coming up" — could force the county to pay court‑appointed attorney fees in the neighborhood of $20,000 per case if those defendants are represented outside the public‑defender office.
Commissioners asked for context on current county spending on appointed attorneys. The presiding official said the county currently pays roughly $75,000 per year in attorney fees, though he characterized that number as approximate and dependent on case activity.
The presiding official urged the court to run a formal cost analysis comparing the interlocal contribution to expected county‑paid appointment costs, saying, "it would not be in our best interest to continue with the interlocal agreement for the public defenders" if projected future contributions exceed what the county typically spends on attorney fees.
No detailed vote text appears in the transcript for the action that immediately followed the public‑defender discussion; the court recorded a motion, a second by Commissioner De La Montez, and a voice vote in which the motion "carried." The transcript does not identify the mover or provide an itemized tally.
The court then moved on to consider executive‑session business unrelated to the public‑defender discussion.
