Utah County OKs immediate expansion of county attorney staffing, 2-1

The Utah County Board of County Commissioners voted to authorize an immediate change to the county attorney—s staffing plan to add 15 deputy county attorneys and two legal assistants, a move the county attorney said is necessary to reduce extreme caseloads and increase jury trials.

County Attorney Dave Levitt told the commission he needs the positions to address what he described as a system over-reliant on plea bargaining and an office that is "entirely overburdened" by felony filings. "I am asking the commission to increase the staffing plan, to add 15 deputy county attorneys," Levitt said, arguing that his office currently handles roughly 4,500 felony case filings a year and that per-prosecutor felony caseloads in Utah County far exceed American Bar Association and national survey guidance.

Why it matters: Levitt and other speakers framed the change as necessary to restore jury trials as a meaningful check on prosecutorial power and to ensure more serious cases receive full prosecution. Commissioners pressed Levitt on alternatives — including pre-filing diversion programs that reduce filings for nonviolent offenders — and on how the hires would be funded long term.

Levitt said diversion work already reduces some filings but is largely concentrated on misdemeanors; the requested hires would add trial capacity in district court, screening-team resources and civil attorneys to support county responsibilities. He described a staffing model that would install three prosecutors in each district court and add screening capacity to improve charging decisions.

Fiscal and procedural questions: Commissioners noted restricted funds are available in the current fiscal year and asked whether the hires should be incremental. Commissioner 3 (recorded in the transcript as an asking commissioner) said limited restricted funds and long-term budget implications made a full 15-person immediate hire hard to support without identifying future offsets. Levitt said roughly $630,000 existed in a restricted account and that the immediate cost through the end of the fiscal year would be about $512,000; he urged the commission not to delay, saying hiring now avoids months of additional delay to fill needed positions.

Public comment included supporters who said the hires would benefit public safety and local police, and residents and other commissioners urged careful budgeting or identifying offsets to avoid deficit spending in future budgets.

Vote and next steps: The motion to authorize the staffing-plan change passed 2-1. The clerk recorded the result as two votes in favor and one opposed; the transcript notes that Commissioner Lee and Commissioner Ivy voted in favor and Commissioner Ainge voted against. Commissioners asked Levitt to continue reporting on caseload metrics and outcomes as the hires are onboarded.

What remains unsettled: Commissioners who voted for the authorization said they want to see sustainable funding in the next budget cycle and asked Levitt to continue providing outcome measurement about caseload per prosecutor, trial rates and impacts on jail and pretrial detention populations. Levitt said he will report metrics and that he—s prepared to seek additional support staff and investigators in future budget cycles.