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Public defender office reports staffing shift to full-time attorneys; House Bill 96 will change reimbursement and audit requirements
Summary
The public defender's office says it is reducing contract attorneys in favor of full-time assistant public defenders and has added a social work assistant; staff warned that House Bill 96 sets a statewide cost-projection form (due July 1, 2026) and an auditor performance audit of indigent defense delivery models, and the state reimbursement rate is currently expected at 82%.
Laura Brzonski, director of the Trumbull County public defender's office, updated commissioners Jan. 28 on staffing and contract plans and described how recent state budget changes affect county indigent defense funding.
Brzonski said the office has reduced the number of contract attorneys from about 24 and hired two full-time assistant public defenders; the office also created a new social work assistant position to develop a social-work program. "We have hired two attorneys... and they are assigned to support," she said, adding that recruitment for some contract roles has been difficult and the move toward full-time employees was intended to improve consistency and efficiency.
Patrick Clark, assistant director of trial services, summarized state-level developments: a biannual budget provision has set an 82% reimbursement rate for indigent defense (lower than some had expected), and House Bill 96 requires counties to submit a cost-projection form to the state public defender by July 1, 2026. Clark said the state public defender's office will send templates and is available to provide technical assistance. He also said the state auditor will conduct a performance audit of indigent defense delivery models across the state.
Why it matters: Changes in reimbursement rates and new statewide reporting and audits could alter county budgeting for indigent defense. Commissioners asked whether moving staff from contract to full-time would increase county obligations; Clark said the county remains responsible for statewide constitutional obligations and that contracting offers budget predictability but does not eliminate assigned-counsel hourly costs if caseloads exceed contracted capacity.
No contract approval or budget vote occurred at the workshop; commissioners thanked the public defender staff for the update and accepted offers of technical assistance with the upcoming cost-projection form.
