District Attorney Greg Willis seeks five new/changed positions as case loads outpace staffing

District Attorney Greg Willis told the court that over the last decade the DA's office workload "has grown twice as fast as our authorized staffing," creating a structural capacity gap that threatens case throughput and public safety.

Willis outlined five requests the office is making in this budget cycle: a public‑safety prosecutor (created by recent state law changes to handle notices when habitual dangerous offenders reoffend while on bond), a deputy chief for the misdemeanor division, position‑classification changes for three division chiefs and the lead secretary, a dedicated misdemeanor chief assigned to justice of the peace courts, and a Public Information Act support position (a modest alternative to a full PIO). He said the PIA support role would centralize FOIA requests and free prosecutors for casework.

Willis presented cost‑avoidance reasoning: he estimated modest classification increases would cost roughly $36,738 but that replacing three chiefs and the lead secretary would carry estimated replacement costs averaging about $692,000. He urged the court to view retention as a cost‑effective alternative to turnover and higher replacement costs.

Commissioners and HR questioned which requests were 'supported' by the budget office and discussed tradeoffs between adding positions and giving raises across county departments. Willis said he'd prefer both but stressed that without additional staff the office risks longer case timelines and higher jail costs from detained defendants awaiting resolution.