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Committee forwards $2.19M retroactive supplemental for indigent defense after staff reduction
Summary
The committee advanced an ordinance to appropriate just under $2.19 million from the general fund reserve to cover indigent defense costs for increased caseloads in Superior Court; Court Executive Officer Mike Ewing described a 49% caseload increase and the budget analyst recommended reducing the request by $11,002.23.
The committee considered an ordinance seeking a supplemental appropriation from the general fund reserve to cover indigent defense expenses tied to increased felony and misdemeanor caseloads in Superior Court for the prior fiscal year.
Mike Ewing, Court Executive Officer, described the request as a retroactive supplemental. He said the final year-end billings resulted in higher totals than anticipated: "Last year, we had 7,000 cases ... at the end of the fiscal year, we have finally tallied up that it's 10,500 cases ... almost $12,900,000," and summarized, "This is a 49% increase in cases and a 46% increase in costs." Ewing identified that felonies rose (from about 3,700 two years ago to 4,800 in the most recent fiscal year) and misdemeanors increased sharply as well.
The committee’s budget analyst recommended trimming the request by $11,002.23, reducing the supplemental from $2,200,000 to $2,188,777, and noted the action would lower the city’s general fund reserve (the analyst cited a reduction from $18,200,000 to $15,990,007.63 in the materials). Miss Samuda reminded the committee that the City Charter requires a two-thirds vote of the full Board to increase that account retroactively.
With no public comment, the committee accepted the budget analyst’s recommendation and moved the ordinance forward with the committee recommendation.
