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Comal DA wins approval to create intake attorney and paralegal positions to reduce backlog
Summary
The District Attorney presented a plan to reclassify prosecutorial staff and create a felony intake attorney and intake paralegal (initially funded from bond commission/discretionary funds) to address an intake backlog; the court approved the personnel actions.
The Comal County District Attorney outlined a multi‑step plan to reduce intake delays and address heavy felony caseloads, and the commissioners approved the related personnel actions.
The DA said the office’s backlog had grown in recent years and that the number of defendants awaiting jury trial had dropped from roughly 600 at a previous peak to 251 defendants currently set for trial — a reduction he described as a product of increased dockets and judge assignments. To address screening delays and intake, he asked the court to reclassify an existing division director back to a felony‑1 attorney position, reclassify a chief civil prosecutor to 1st Assistant, and create a felony 1 intake attorney position (position 25314006) and an intake paralegal position funded initially from SB 22 bond commission/discretionary funds.
The DA said the intake attorney would be funded using discretionary bond commission receipts and that he expects to seek general‑revenue funding in the 2027 budget. He also said one candidate under consideration brings extensive state and federal prosecution experience. The court approved items 18–21 (reclassifications, creation of the intake attorney, and funding for the intake paralegal) by motion and vote.
The DA emphasized the procedural rationale: faster intake review improves timeliness for victims and defendants and helps meet CJIS deadlines. “When you look back to when we went back to in person jury trials, Comal County had a backlog of almost 600 felony cases waiting for jury trial. ... I am really proud to tell you that today ... we only have only 251 total defendants set for trial in district court,” the DA said.
Why it matters: The changes increase prosecutorial intake capacity, which county officials say is necessary to process cases more promptly and meet statutory/administrative deadlines.
