County attorney requests modest supplies increase, flags case-management and jury costs

Marca, identified in discussion as the county attorney, presented her office’s budget request during the May 14 Lincoln County budget hearings and asked for a $500 increase to cover supplies such as paper and toner.

"As you can see, I have asked for a $500 increase for the year for my budget," Marca said, and explained that apparent low expenditures in the current spreadsheet reflected the seasonal timing of payments: annual case-management system costs, summer conference registration and travel typically pay at this time of year.

Marca said the office expects case-management costs and summer conference registrations to post soon; one exchange in the record gave a figure phrased as "about a $1,200 or $12,000" for the case-management system (the transcript presents that line ambiguously). She also noted an intern/hybrid replacement for Bailey would begin on Monday. Marca told the panel that professional services had historically been roughly $11,000 in years past for items such as expert witnesses and that jury and witness fees were higher this past year due to travel and lodging for out-of-state witnesses.

Why it matters: the county attorney’s predictable professional-services and jury costs can create volatility in a relatively small departmental budget; commissioners emphasized that wages are the larger driver of year-to-year budget increases.

Next steps: figures tied to annual billing cycles (case-management system, conference costs) will post and be reconciled in the county’s budget system.