LaSalle County public defender outlines stipend plan and warns of statewide shift

Ryan Amer, public defender, told the LaSalle County Law and Justice Committee on Feb. 24 that the office will use an ongoing state grant to pay stipends, technology upgrades and dues for staff while the program remains funded outside the county budget.

"The grant money is ... specifically for public defenders and public defender purposes," Amer said, describing three years of award distributions to counties. He said LaSalle County received about $109,000 in the first year, roughly the same in the second year and about $102,000 this year and that the office has been conservative in spending.

The nut graf: the grant has paid for temporary or supplemental positions and one-time expenses that the county budget does not cover; Amer told the panel the county has used the funds to hire a paralegal, pay stipends and cover dues. He also cautioned the committee about an impending structural change: responsibility for indigent defense is shifting to a statewide public defender system.

Amer described personnel effects: one clerk previously paid from grant funds became a full-time county employee; another attorney (identified in the transcript as Mr. Paparella) works part time on grant funding. Amer said chief judge approval will be required for stipend disbursements and that employees sign acknowledgements accepting that the funds are outside the county budget and not guaranteed in future years.

A key policy change discussed was the statewide transition. Amer said the legislature has directed a shift to a statewide public defender system and that implementation begins July 1, with full implementation targeted by Jan. 1. "It is law," he said, noting local uncertainty about details and how local roles and funding will change.

Committee members asked whether stipends create expectations for future county-funded salaries if the grant ends; Amer said the answer was no — existing salary structures would govern if grant funding ceases. He also said he expects possible increases in state-level funding as responsibilities move statewide.

The committee took no formal action on the grant itself during the meeting; Amer's report and the public defender bills were approved later in the session. The committee agreed to monitor implementation of the statewide system and asked that Amer and staff provide updates as more guidance becomes available.