Public defenders tell Utah County commissioners caseloads and costs surged in 2023; request staffing and budget accounting changes

Benjamin Young, financial manager for the Utah County Public Defender Association, told the Board of County Commissioners that the office saw a significant rise in cases and hours required in 2023 and asked commissioners to factor that increase into future budget planning. "There was a significant increase in both the number of cases as well as the number of hours required," Young said during a quarter‑4 and annual presentation.

Josh Esplin, the association’s chief counsel, said the office used American Bar Association weights to calculate hours needed per case type and noted that an ABA table places life‑without‑parole cases at 286 hours as a reference point. "Aggravated murder is highlighted...I just used the 286 hours that would be for an LWOP," Esplin said, describing the methodology behind the association’s staffing calculations.

Esplin and Young explained that apparent overages in employee costs were driven in part by a parity adjustment approved by the county that added $423,818 to the association’s budget effective July 1 to align public defender pay with county attorney pay. They also said the office experienced turnover—six attorneys left during the transition—driving higher contract‑attorney costs while vacancies were covered. Esplin described program and conflict‑case expenses, the addition of a sixth juvenile court that required two conflict contracts, and a spike in appeals work that led the association to request an additional appeals attorney.

Commissioners asked for clarification on reporting conventions. Esplin said the association will begin presenting adopted, adjusted and actual budget columns in future reports to improve transparency. The presenters also told commissioners they received nonlapsing grant funds from the IDC in January 2023 that arrived after the budget adoption and covered some office and equipment expenses, which should be reflected in adjusted figures.

Next steps: the association said an audit is pending and that it will return with adjusted budget columns and supporting documentation; the commission did not take an immediate budget action at the presentation but acknowledged the requests and the need for follow‑up once audit results are available.