Sandy Anderson Warren, executive director of the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs, told the Senate Appropriations Committee the department’s accountability‑court pilot in Chittenden County has produced rapid case movement and that the department will ask for modest budget adjustments to support the program.

"When we started in October, we had 890 open dockets" for the five‑or‑more category, Warren said. "As of yesterday, we had cleared 530 of the 890 cases," or about 60 percent, she added, crediting dedicated courtroom time and on‑site Agency of Human Services (AHS) supports for the pace.

Warren and other department witnesses described the pilot as a limited, interagency effort that relied on a courtroom made available via agreement with the governor’s office, a deputy state's attorney detailed as embedded in Chittenden County work, and partners such as the Howard Center and the judiciary. The pilot is scheduled to conclude Feb. 9, with a transition plan to continue using the courtroom space while partners evaluate next steps.

Committee members pressed department staff on budget implications. Department witnesses said the BAA materials include salary, benefits and a small operating line to reimburse administrative assistants for overtime and to cover transport‑related expenses. Staff estimated that hiring a single position at a advertised "step 2" salary (noted in testimony as $59,883) plus retirement and benefits would be roughly $124,000 fully loaded; filling four such vacancies would therefore be a mid‑hundreds‑of‑thousands cost and, the department warned, could require a future supplemental request.

Officials also described transport strains that have driven overtime and mileage costs upward. With the Department of Corrections reporting limited capacity to transfer detainees, state transport deputies face longer trips and higher per‑diem and mileage expenses, staff said. Warren said the department has tried process changes, including an administrative escalation to the court administrator and pilot block scheduling (recommended windows of roughly 10 a.m.–2 p.m.) to reduce very early or late transport runs and improve predictability for detainees and staff.

Warren stressed the program’s goals are to move nonviolent felony and misdemeanor dockets more quickly while protecting prosecutorial focus on serious felony calendars. "If you have a fifth reach‑out theft in Chittenden County, they're going to get into court quickly and have to see a judge multiple times with a sure trial date," she said, describing how that certainty can change behavior.

Committee members asked for a short memo and a data breakout; staff agreed to provide a follow‑up memo with the detailed numbers and to report back at the committee’s February follow‑up.

Ending: The department left the committee with its BAA paperwork and said it would return with clarified line‑item numbers and reporting on how the Chittenden pilot looks after its February transition.