Eaton County prosecutor outlines $250,000 state grant plan to fund victim portal and short-term retention bonuses

Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd on May 16 told the Ways and Means Committee he plans to use a one‑time $250,000 state grant for two main purposes: a Carpel victim‑portal subscription to improve communication with victims and a short‑term retention program to keep existing staff.

Lloyd said the prosecutor’s office would pay for two years of the victim portal subscription and use the remainder of the grant to fund onetime retention payments equal to 12 percent of affected employees’ pay, with a six‑month obligation clause requiring prorated repayment if recipients leave early. The Ways and Means Committee voted to move the framework to the full board for final adoption and to allow the administration and prosecutor to work with Treasury on any technical changes.

The prosecutor said the funding was part of a state effort that started after the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission process highlighted disparities between public defenders and locally funded prosecutors. Eaton County’s $250,000 allocation is a one‑time line item included in the state budget last year, Lloyd said, smaller than awards to larger jurisdictions but important to his office.

Lloyd said the victim portal would let advocates and attorneys communicate more flexibly by text and secure messaging, which he called important because many victims “are in a moving state” and may not have stable housing but often have a phone. “I have a strong feeling I’m gonna find that that is a very big asset for my office and allowing me to communicate with victims of cases,” Lloyd said.

On retention, Lloyd said losing trained attorneys and support staff to better‑paying jurisdictions has left the office short and overworked. He described the proposed 12 percent onetime payment as a means to keep staff through the near term while the office and county continue budget deliberations: staff who accept the payment would be required to remain employed for six months or refund a prorated amount.

Administration staff told the committee the plan was time‑sensitive: Treasury had given a short extension and the item will appear on the full board agenda the following week for final approval and to meet the grant submission deadline.

The committee motion to forward the framework to the full board passed on a voice vote with no recorded opposition.

What’s next: the full Board of Commissioners must approve the framework and a required signature from the board chair for the final Treasury submission. If Treasury requires technical edits, administration said staff would implement changes in line with the plan’s intent and return if substantive changes are needed.