Last month, John Alge of the Ohio Public Defender’s Office discussed with commissioners a proposed $27,000 increase in the budget for the office for the 2010 contract year. The county’s share of that larger budget will be $59,568, down from $64,344 this year.
Gov. Ted Strickland’s executive budget for the FY10-11 biennium contains several initiatives that increase state funding for indigent defense, including court cost increases, license reinstatement fees and a new surcharge on appearance bonds, Alge said during his May meeting with the board. That will allow the OPD to increase the total budget for the county, and add another part-time attorney to help handle a large caseload.
The state’s reimbursement rate for these services to counties will likely increase from 25 percent this fiscal year to 42 percent next year, but Commissioner Mick Davenport noted yesterday any significant cash savings on the local end will be largely absorbed by the addition of another attorney to handle an ever-increasing caseload for indigent criminal defendants.
Charles Knight represented 251 indigent defendants as a part-time public defender during this contract year. Christopher Tenoglia represented 193. Alge said the OPD considers 400 cases a full-time caseload.
Other business
Martin Broderick, general manager of Leading Creek Conservancy District, and Amy Daugherty met with commissioners to discuss the district’s request for $25,000 in funding under the upcoming CDBG formula appropriation.
(It was incorrectly reported in The Daily Sentinel that the district had received funding, but the application was, in fact, denied.)
Broderick noted that this is the third year the district has applied for the funding for $85,000 to expand service to customers in the Dyesville community. Davenport and Grants Administrator Jean Trussell said the application could not be approved because the district had not received commitment of other matching funds, and the application would likely have been denied by the state without support of match funding.
Commissioners offered assistance through their office and the economic development director to secure funding for the project, recognizing its importance to the residents of that area of Columbia Township.
Commissioners also:
• Approved a bid of $45,000 from Quality Window Systems, Pomeroy, for window replacement at the Syracuse Community Center, under the Community Development Block Grant formula program.
• Approved contracts between the Department of Job and Family Services and the county sheriff, prosecuting attorney, and Common Pleas Court, in the amounts of $3,544.76, $12,937.26, and $31,817.25, respectively, for Title IV-D child support enforcement cases.
• Approved payment of bills in the amount of $355,644.20, including $64,708.84 in general fund warrants.
Also present were Commissioners Thomas Anderson and Michael Bartrum and Clerk Gloria Kloes.
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