State contributions wane as indigent defense costs continue to climb for McLennan County
McLennan County’s cost for indigent defense went up more than $120,000 in the past year, while the state’s contribution to expenses decreased by about $3,500.
It’s not a new trend for the county. The growing annual costs once covered by the state could surpass $5 million within a year, up from about $3 million in 2010, County Judge Scott Felton said.
County commissioners on Tuesday will vote to accept state funding for 2017, while in Austin on the same day, the senate finance committee is set to hold a hearing where the Texas Indigent Defense Commission will ask the state to cover the whole cost, Precinct 3 Commissioner Will Jones said. Jones said he wrote a letter to Sen. Brian Birdwell, a Republican from Granbury who is on the finance committee, to consider the commission’s request.
“As time has gone by there’s been less and less money from the state going to that,” Jones said.
Read more: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/mclennan_county/state-contributions-wane-as-indigent-defense-costs-continue-to-climb/article_e619eae4-9052-58cf-ab7b-f8a1f7a68bfb.html