Eaton County approves 12-month plan to stabilize Public Defender27s Office, authorizes temporary contracts and budget amendment

EATON COUNTY, Mich. Jan. 29, 2026 The Eaton County Board of Commissioners voted on Thursday to approve a 12-month operational plan to stabilize the county Public Defender's Office, authorizing short-term contract staff and a budget amendment to reallocate fringe-benefit dollars into salaries.

The plan, presented by county staffer Ben, calls for three temporary 12-month contract positionsan interim chief public defender, an administrator and a discovery coordinatorto address vacancies at the top of the office and improve case discovery, mentoring and administrative reporting. "So before you is a, plan for, 12 months, stabilization plan for the office of public defender," Ben said while outlining the proposal.

Why it matters: The office currently has two vacancies at senior levels, and presenters told the board those gaps left attorneys short of administrative support and timely discovery materials such as body-camera footage. The plan is funded in part through the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC) cost-sharing model; Melissa (Controller Sobe) told the board that Eaton Countyper the existing cost-share formulais required to contribute $448,000 and the state contributes the remainder approved in the state budget.

Key details: The county designated Matt Newberg as interim chief public defender and said Rob Palmer (incoming from the Ingham County Public Defender's Office) will begin as chief assistant on Feb. 9. The discovery coordinator role will be a licensed investigator dedicated to receiving, tracking and summarizing discovery so attorneys have needed materials in their case files; Lindsay Spear and Kathy (office administrator) were cited as local staff who will support discovery and MIDC reporting.

Contract and benefits terms: The draft employment agreements cover 12-month terms and, because the posts are temporary, the county will not enroll those contractors in MERS (the municipal retirement system) or the county health-care savings program. Instead, the county will pay the cash value of those deferred benefits as a taxable stipend; Ben said the contractors "will just be in a higher tax bracket for that year." Contractors will receive health, dental and vision coverage but not annual leave or pension vesting during the 12-month term. MIDC staff told the county they would pay for a third-party study if the county wished to evaluate a fundamental structural change to the delivery model.

Board action: Commissioner Shaver moved to adopt the 12-month operational plan and Commissioner Pearl Wright supported the motion; the chair called the vote and the motion carried. The board separately approved the proposed employment agreements (moved by Commissioner Whitaker and supported by Commissioner Haskell) and a temporary override codifying the limited benefits for 12-month contract employees. The board also approved a 25-26 budget amendment to reduce fringe-benefit lines and move the funding into salaries to cover the contracts.

Legal and procedural notes: The meeting included a brief closed session called under MCL 15.268(1)(h) to discuss material exempt from disclosure and a written legal opinion exempt under MCL 15.243(1)(g), as the motion to enter closed session recited. Presenters repeatedly referenced MIDC as the grant and oversight body guiding allowable expenditures and review periods.

Next steps: Presenters said MIDC plans a roughly six-month observation period to assess progress; the county will evaluate benchmarks every three months and may seek MIDC approval to extend the contract model beyond 12 months if the pilot shows results. County staff said they will prepare a budget amendment for the next fiscal year if the board elects to continue the model and fold the pension and HSA-equivalent contributions back into standard county benefits at that time.

The board took the actions as part of its Jan. 29 special meeting and set the next regular meeting for Feb. 18 at 6 p.m.