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Benton County attorney reports understaffed support, new hires and rising caseload pressures
Summary
County Attorney Kathy Reuter told commissioners the office hired two prosecutors but remains understaffed on legal support (two legal secretaries for eight attorneys). She warned a grant that funds roughly half a victim assistant coordinator position may become competitive in 2027 and flagged homicide and child-protection caseload increases.
Kathy Reuter, the county attorney, updated the Benton County Board on staffing and caseload pressures, saying two new attorneys have joined the office but support staffing remains thin.
"We have 2 legal secretaries for 8 attorneys, which is way below average," Reuter said while comparing Benton County to a 16-county peer group used in class-and-comp studies. She said the comparable counties averaged approximately 1 legal secretary per 1.23 attorneys; Benton County currently has approximately 1 to 4.
Reuter said the office hired James Staley and Scott Meyer, both with prosecutorial experience from other states, and that they are learning Minnesota-specific sentencing guidelines and procedures. She also said a part-time victim assistant coordinator position remains unfilled because the county prioritized filling attorney vacancies before the holidays, and because the grant that funds roughly half that position will become competitive in 2027; if the grant is lost or reduced she will ask the board to fund the remainder of the position.
On caseload, Reuter reported two adult homicides and one attempted homicide pending from 2025, plus a juvenile attempted-homicide case the office is seeking to certify as an adult. She said appellate work has increased, too, and warned that understaffing of support personnel forces attorneys to absorb administrative duties and work longer hours.
Commissioners asked about the cost of adding support staff; Reuter estimated the additional legal secretary position would cost between $80,000 and $90,000 with benefits. She said she will provide overtime and staffing statistics for the board to review.
Next steps: Reuter will return with more detailed overtime and staffing statistics and may request board funding if the grant that helps pay the part-time victim assistant coordinator is reduced or lost.
