Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The quarterly Public Defender Board meeting Thursday was an overview of the ups and downs of the new Kosciusko County Public Defender Agency office since its opening July 1.
Jack Birch, chief public defender, presented the two board members present, along with Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Matt Buehler, a progress report and operations. Following the meeting, Kevin Deardorff and John Hall, board members present, were offered a tour of the new offices on the first floor of the Justice Building.
Birch stated the doors opened on July 1, but due to some delays, they opened in the office next door using folding tables and chairs.
“Lawyers showed up without major hiccups,” Birch stated.
Any issues were taken care of and there were no frantic phone calls.
The department is fully staffed and to date it is 90% fully operational with some technology and electrical matters to be taken care of.
Birch reported on the various training received on the Case Management Software, which has been helpful and given them a huge head start. He stated the training they have received has helped them track cases and input information in what they are doing.
“The state has been wonderful,” he said, adding they are able to call or email specific individuals when questions come up.
Since July 1, he has shifted through situations, found the right people to talk with and talked with longtime county officials for advice. He has also spent time with Alyssa Schmucker and Becky Dye in the auditor’s office, going through financials, budgeting and purchases.
“I’m confident we will figure that out,” Birch said regarding the budget.
Deardorff did question if Birch felt the proposed budget was adequate.
“I think so,” he said. Because there has been no previous budget, Birch said it is his best guess and he may be doing some apologies if he has to come back and tell them he didn’t guess right.
Buehler assured him that this was the first time as an officer and there was nothing historical to go on.
He noted there is no previous budget and he asked for budgets from other county public defender offices, but those were different. He will be presenting the budget to the county council and commissioners.
“Hopefully, I’m not too far off. I tried not to,” Birch said.
Overall, Birch said, “it was a struggle to start with, but things have calmed down. … It’s been a frustration not knowing who to ask,” he said about some of the questions he has had.
Hall questioned the number of staff members and attorneys in the office.
There are three staff members, two full-time lawyers including himself, with Antony Garza coming onboard in the future, and five lawyers under contract.
Buehler questioned if there have been any issues getting supplemental funds for operations, which he was advised was more trying to make sense of how the funds were to be used. Birch stated it was initially thought those funds could be used for anything, but reviewing the statute, there are limitations and some expenditures were to go through a general fund.
“It’s not been an issue,” he said.
The board was advised he has had multiple meetings with judges as a group and individuals, hearing suggestions and discussions on the operations. He is also trying to work out some type of schedule among the courts to make things more efficient. He noted the courts have different days for different matters.
Buehler and the board recognized the logo contest underway and felt it was a good idea.
Before adjourning the brief meeting, Birch stated he felt future meetings should be held in the public defender’s conference room instead of a jury room, to which they all agreed.
