Tri‑county DA budget approved after discussion of staffing and felony review unit

The Board of County Commissioners voted Oct. 7 to approve the 2026 tri‑county personnel and operations budget for the 14th Judicial District, and separately approved funding for an adult‑diversion program drawn from vacancy‑savings returns. District Attorney Matthew Carzan described recent hires and proposed a restructuring that would pull the DA out of routine docket work to create a felony‑review unit focused on strengthening case intake and coordinating with law enforcement.

Carzan described the change as a capacity‑building move: "I will bring my 30 years of experience to the table and work very closely with law enforcement," he said, explaining that the felony review role would provide a consistent, front‑end intake so courtroom prosecutors could concentrate on litigation. Commissioners from the three counties discussed budget shifts, vacancy savings and a return of underspent 2024 funds; each county moved separately to approve the tri‑county personnel budget and the operations funding request. The adult‑diversion funding was approved from a 2024 reimbursement return, with the motion passing on a roll call of participating counties.

Carzan and commissioners also discussed transport costs for community corrections and the burden such fiscal changes impose on county jails and sheriff offices; he suggested options for charging transport costs to defendants or pursuing legislative relief via CCI on unfunded state mandates. The DA's proposed budget increase will support the additional staff and restructured intake role when the new hires come on board.