Title
Public Defender recommending the Board approve an update to the approved distribution of California Assembly Bill 143 funds for the Public Defender's Office to cover the salary and benefit costs for budgeted staff.
FUNDING: California AB 143.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
California Assembly Bill 143 (2021) (AB143) provides funding to counties as a result of revenues lost from the repeal of various criminal administrative fees. California Assembly Bill 1869 (AB 1869) eliminated twenty-three different criminal administration fees charged by local governments to individual arrested, prosecuted, or convicted of a crime. Additionally, AB 1869 set aside $65 million annually for fiscal years 2021-22 through 2025-26 to backfill counties for estimated lost revenue. Allocations to counties were based on the adult population, felony and misdemeanor arrests, and traffic and non-traffic felony and misdemeanor files.
The original AB 143 backfill allocation recommended distribution schedule proposed that the Public Defender receive $245,135 of the funds allocated to El Dorado County for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26, for a total allocation of $735,405 to be used to fund a Program Assistant and a Deputy Public Defender. The need for funding for these positions has been met by other unanticipated grant funding sources. The recommended update is to reallocate AB143 backfill funds to fund a 1.0 FTE Investigator and a 1.0 FTE Paralegal.
The Public Defender's approved FY 2024-25 budget includes an increase in salaries and benefits due to the addition of 1.0 FTE Investigator I/II (Public Defender) and 1.0 FTE Paralegal I/II to recommended be funded with the allocated AB 143 Criminal Fee Backfill special revenue funds. It is anticipated that these two positions will request funding from the AB 143 backfill allocation in the FY 2025-26 Budget.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could direct the Public Defender to use the AB 143 funds in a different manor...
Click here for full text