Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Defense topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Franklin County extends indigent defense contract with local public defender for five years
Summary
The county voted July 8 to extend Public Defender Don Marler’s contract for five years; Marler said he would prioritize Franklin County over Caribou County if he could not serve both.
Franklin County Commissioners unanimously approved a five-year extension to the county’s indigent defense contract with Public Defender Don Marler.
Marler told the board the State Public Defender program is struggling and said local contracts are being honored in practice. Asked how he would handle overlapping obligations with neighboring Caribou County, Marler said that if he could not continue to provide services to both counties he would ‘‘drop the Caribou County cases and stay with Franklin County.’’ County Attorney Vic Pearson told the board that the State program plans to honor existing contracts but that is not a statutory requirement.
Commissioner Dirk Bowles moved to extend Marler’s contract for five years; Commissioner Boyd Burbank seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous.
