Angela Chang, director of the youth defense division, and public defender staff presented the office’s 2026 budget request on Dec. 2 and asked the commission to fund three full‑time felony attorneys, additional office space and continued training.

Chang framed the request around access to counsel and public safety, invoking Gideon: “fundamental and essential,” she said of effective public defense in the current legal environment. The office described a holistic defense model that connects clients with services, highlighted higher acquittal and mitigation success rates compared with panel counsel, and said better in‑house capacity reduces assigned‑counsel expenditures.

The defenders estimated that adding three felony attorneys would yield about $152,860 in annual savings tied to reducing outside counsel costs. After projected reimbursement (the office cited an estimated 84% reimbursement rate for eligible costs), the net general‑fund cost to the county for the requested additions was described as modest (the presentation cited a net county cost figure near $46,081 for the three attorneys after reimbursements).

Chang also warned that expanding law‑enforcement technology — including body‑worn camera data and other AI‑enabled tools — increases defense workloads and requires training and resources to ensure constitutional protections and adequate review.

Commissioners thanked the presenters, asked clarifying questions about salary adjustments and office space, and discussed possibilities to locate staff in the Bond Hill area to improve service access. The administration indicated the target budget constraints would not yet allow immediate additions without offsetting reductions or other adjustments.

Next steps: departments will work with the administration to reconcile requests with target budgets; commissioners signaled continued interest in pursuing full state reimbursement when available.