County attorney office projects $300,000 in legal-fee savings; legal aid remains county-supported

A representative of the County Attorney’s Office told the board the office is not seeking new FTEs and expects to reduce outside legal-fee costs by about $300,000 annually through in-house reassignment of litigation work and a contracted county attorney arrangement.

The representative said the county attorney position is now a contract role and that internal reassignment of litigation to staff attorneys (naming Ryan Ross and Carly Meek as recent hires handling litigation) has reduced reliance on outside counsel. "We are projecting for a $300,000 reduction in our budget," the office representative said.

The office also summarized the county’s support for local legal aid: the county plans to provide $385,000 toward a program with a total budget of $935,000; the remaining funds come from court revenues and other sources. The representative described legal aid’s eligibility as focused on financially needy residents and said local offices allow walk-in services, though some administrative functions are centralized in Jacksonville.

Why it matters: Reduced legal fees can provide ongoing budget relief, and county support for legal aid affects access to legal services for low-income residents.

What happens next: The County Attorney’s Office will continue handling litigation in-house where feasible and the board will consider contract adjustments and the upcoming agenda item related to the county-attorney contract.