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Legal defenders ask for higher escalation clause amid concern they lag prosecutors by 8–10%
Summary
Legal defender leadership told the budget committee three-year contracts and a 3% escalation clause have left them 8–10% behind the county attorney’s office; they recommended at least a 4% base increase plus cost-of-living adjustments and asked the county to fund a feasibility study into a full-time defender model.
Todd Edsinger, representing the county’s legal defenders, told the budget committee that three-year contract terms with a built-in 3% escalation clause have provided continuity but still leave defender compensation roughly 8–10% below comparable county-attorney pay.
Edsinger asked the committee to consider contract language that would narrow that gap — either a larger flat percentage or a flat percent plus the county’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). He said…
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