Coffee County ratifies 2026 indigent defense agreement and approves UGA Extension pay MOU

The Coffee County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 3 approved two administrative agreements: the 2026 Indigent Defense Agreement with the Georgia Public Defender Council, and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on behalf of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

County Administrator Wesley Vickers told the board the indigent defense budget for 2026 decreased because Coffee County’s caseload has fallen; the board voted unanimously to approve the Georgia Public Defender Council agreement for the coming year. Vickers also presented an MOU that governs how the county pays supplement amounts for Cooperative Extension office employees while those employees remain full-time University of Georgia staff. The board approved the MOU unanimously.

Why it matters: the indigent defense agreement governs legal representation obligations and associated county expenditures; the extension MOU clarifies the county’s supplemental-pay relationship with UGA employees who operate out of county extension offices.

What’s next: County staff will finalize agreements with the Georgia Public Defender Council and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension as approved.