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Eaton County approves 12-month plan to stabilize Public Defender27s Office, authorizes temporary contracts and budget amendment
Summary
The Eaton County Board of Commissioners approved a 12-month operational plan to stabilize the Public Defender's Office, authorized temporary 12-month contracts for interim staff (including an interim chief), approved a personnel-override for benefits and a budget amendment to move fringe funds into salaries.
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…
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