County prosecutor warns of staff cuts if flat budget holds, seeks funding for conviction integrity unit and tech upgrades

Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pilich told the commissioners that her office faces a budget gap that could require cuts to prosecution staffing if the administrator’s recommended (flat) funding holds. “Administration's recommendation would force us to cut nearly 10% of our staff,” Pilich said, pressing that the office needs funds to retain existing attorneys and staff and to expand in targeted roles.

Pilich described three budget goals: restore funding to retain current staff, add 10 full-time employees (including positions for a conviction integrity unit, additional felony prosecutors, a data analyst and victim advocates), and modernize technology. She said implementing a conviction integrity unit according to national best practices requires outside, experienced personnel, investigative capacity and paralegal support.

Pilich and fiscal staff explained that a vacancy-reduction factor applied during the administrator’s budget process carried forward into the flat recommendation; combined with wage increases, that factor creates an estimated $2 million shortfall to maintain current staffing levels — a figure county staff equated to about 18 positions relative to the office’s average salary profile. Pilich estimated the 10 new positions would cost about $930,000 annually (including benefits) and that three conviction-integrity positions without benefits would total about $230,000.

She also described technology priorities — evidence tracking (Axon Justice) and a new case-management system (Matrix) — and said hiring a data analyst will help the office measure progress and transparency.

Commissioners pressed for detail on vacancy timing, alternatives for staged hiring, and whether the prosecutor’s office could seek court entries for personnel funding as an alternative; fiscal staff said the office has used such entries historically and that administration and prosecutor’s staff have been in ongoing discussion about options.

No formal funding decision was made at the session; commissioners said they would weigh the prosecutor’s request against countywide budget constraints and prioritization decisions.