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Prosecuting Attorney asks Desha County for share of funding for second Victim Witness Coordinator
Summary
Prosecuting Attorney Frank Spain told the Quorum Court he needs funding from district counties to support a second Victim Witness Coordinator; he requested $6,000 per year from each of five counties to be drawn from Law Library funds, and the court postponed a decision for further review.
Prosecuting Attorney Frank Spain asked the Desha County Quorum Court on Sept. 18 to commit a recurring contribution to fund a second Victim Witness Coordinator. Spain said his office currently has one coordinator funded by a state grant; that position helps victims through the court process and sometimes must travel from outside the county. Serving five counties and appearing before two circuit judges, Spain said one coordinator is insufficient when trials overlap.
Spain requested $6,000 per year from each of the five counties in his district—equivalent to $500 per month—to be drawn from the Law Library Fund rather than each county's general fund. He told the court that the state grant that funds the current coordinator is not guaranteed going forward as state funds diminish.
Judge Smith questioned the distribution of funding across the counties, noting that Drew County contributes 15% of Spain's budget while Desha County contributes 23% even though Drew's population is larger. Spain said the allocation was set by state law in 1985 and said changing the formula would require action by the state legislature. Spain also said his office has a drug forfeiture fund that could temporarily sustain a second coordinator for about two years but expressed reluctance to rely on that source.
County members asked for further review. Patricia Watkins suggested the County Judge and County Attorney review Spain's proposal in more detail; the court postponed a decision pending that review.
