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Houghton County work session flags $139,634 deficit tied to Tri County Public Defenders; state grant frozen
Summary
County administrators told commissioners that a $139,634 deficit in the Michigan Indigent Defense Fund, tied to payments to Tri County Public Defenders, has prompted a state freeze on grant disbursements while accounts are reconciled; investigators and county counsel will be contacted.
Houghton County commissioners were told at a March 31 special work session that a $139,634 deficit in the Michigan Indigent Defense Fund is tied to payments made to the Tri County Public Defenders, and that the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission has placed the county’s grant on a "Freeze" until accounts are reconciled.
Administrator Rheault told the board she provided a handout showing invoices the county sent to the Tri County Public Defenders from Jan. 1, 2018, through March 31, 2025, and that audit findings for the period ending Sept. 30, 2023, identified the shortfall. She said she prepared and submitted a Deficit Elimination Plan to the State and that MDIC’s review expanded from an initial three-year look to…
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