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State official urges Davidson County to plan space as public defender expansion considered
Summary
Mary Pollard of North Carolina's Office of Indigent Defense Services told commissioners that Davidson County is part of a "legal desert" and that the state may push to create a public defender office for Judicial District 33 (Davidson and Davie counties) if local stakeholders back it; the county would be required by statute to provide office space and help with upfit costs, and staff estimated an 18-person district office in earlier modeling.
Mary Pollard, executive director of the North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services, told the Davidson County Board of Commissioners on Thursday that the state is expanding public defender offices and would consider pushing for a Davidson–Davie district office if local stakeholders and the legislature support it.
"Davidson County right now does not have a public defender offices," Pollard said, describing the county's current reliance on private assigned counsel and broader statewide shortages that leave 48 counties classified as "legal deserts." She said a 2022 staffing estimate for the judicial district called for about 18 employees, including roughly 11 attorneys, and that the legislature must authorize new offices and fund them in the biennial budget.
Why it matters: County officials and local judges said inadequate indigent defense resources slow cases, lengthen jail stays and increase costs. Judge Hamilton told commissioners the system currently serves thousands of people through a small group of lawyers and that delays create a backlog that affects jail populations and court operations.
County responsibilities and costs: Pollard said statute requires the county to provide office space; IDS provides filing cabinets, laptops, phones and IT, but the county must supply rooms, desks and wiring. County staff identified an existing shell space in the courthouse that could be converted but said upfit costs are uncertain. Facilities staff initially cited a planning figure in the low hundreds of thousands for interior work but warned the final amount could be "north of $1,000,000" once HVAC, sprinklers and other systems are included.
Local reactions and next steps: Commissioners pressed for firm dollar estimates and asked facilities and county management to refine costs and report back. Several local attorneys and judges urged the commissioners to support an office, arguing it would speed dockets and reduce the county's jail costs. Pollard said IDS would include Davidson County among offices it would seek authorization for in the long legislative session, but a formal authorization and funding slot in the biennial budget would determine timing; she suggested an authorization effective in the second year of the 2025 biennium (for example, July 1, 2026) as one workable approach.
What the board directed: Commissioners asked county facilities staff to prepare a more detailed upfit estimate and to bring that information back to the Facilities Committee and the commission so the board can decide how to plan space and capital funding. No formal vote was taken on creating an office; the discussion is advisory and contingent on legislative authorization.
Provenance: Presentation and Q&A by Mary Pollard and local judges/attorneys; recommendation to refine facility cost estimates and return to Facilities (transcript presentation and Q&A).
