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More money, reimbursement for public defender group

LISBON –The non-profit organization of attorneys created to provide public defender representation in Columbiana County is getting more funding in 2020, which in the end will reduce the amount of money county commissioners have to spend on the program.

The reason for the seeming contradiction is the state has increased its reimbursement rate to counties for providing public defender services. Commissioners want to use the opportunity to pump some much-needed additional funding into the Columbiana County Defense League (CCDL), the aforementioned non-profit organization created to provide free legal representation to accused criminals who lack the money to hire their own attorney.

The 2019-20 state budget adopted in July by the Ohio General Assembly increased the reimbursement rate for public defender expenses from 42 percent to 70 percent in 2020. In other words, for every dollar counties spend on mandated public defender services, it will now get 70 cents from the state.

On Wednesday, commissioners gave board chairman Mike Halleck the authority to sign the new public defender agreement when it is presented to them within the next week. The CCDL was appropriated $510,000 for this year by commissioners, and he said they intend to give the organization an extra $8,000 for 2020, but that is only start. As the year progresses commissioners intend to increase the CCDL’s funding, not to exceed $636,000, to take advantage of the 70 percent state reimbursement rate.

Halleck said if they only spend $518,000 in 2020, the state reimbursement would reduce the county’s net outlay to $290,000. Spending $636,000 would reduce the net outlay to $190,000. He said they may even appropriate more money for public defender services in 2021, when the reimbursement rate is scheduled to increase to 90 percent.

The 10 attorneys hired by the CCDL to provide public defender representation are contract employees paid by the CCDL. Commissioners created the CCDL, formerly the Criminal Defense Corp., in 1997 when they decided to do away with the county public defender’s office to save money since they would no longer be county employees entitled to health insurance coverage.

Most counties still have a public defender’s office, and Halleck said the reason behind the significant increase in the reimbursement rate is to equalize pay among public defenders, regardless of county size.

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