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Managed Assigned Counsel warns layoffs possible if grant match not funded
Summary
The court's assigned counsel administrator asked commissioners to approve a TIDC grant match and five personnel increases, warning the MAC may need to lay off staff and suspend immigration advisals without the requested funding.
Kenneth Harden, executive director of the Managed Assigned Counsel (MAC), told commissioners the MAC manages 84% of misdemeanor county‑court appointments and has expanded attorney capacity from 108 to 212 attorneys under the county appointment system.
Harden asked for approval of a TIDC grant match and fringe package and five personnel additions that he called essential: an immigration attorney, a resource attorney, a voucher assistant, an attorney coordinator and a social‑work supervisor. He said the MAC currently fields heavy demand for immigration advisals (one immigration attorney averaged about 46 advisals per month during a recent period) and that voucher‑processing delays risk violating statutory 60‑day timelines. “Without the grant and fringe match, the MAC may have to lay off as many as nine current staff members,” Harden said.
Why this matters: The MAC argued the staffing request is small compared with workload growth: investigation requests, immigration advisals and social‑work referrals rose markedly since 2020; non‑conviction rates in misdemeanor cases have improved since the MAC was formed. Harden urged the court to prioritize the grant match and at least one immigration attorney, one resource attorney and one voucher assistant if only partial funding is possible.
Next step: Commissioners and budget staff asked for further cost details and potential alternative funding options; the MAC said it would provide follow‑up material about caseloads and statutory constraints on voucher processing.
