Nueces County district attorney proposes net‑zero budget, new prosecutor positions and Westlaw contract increase

The district attorney's office presented a budget plan that leaders described as largely net‑zero while proposing targeted staffing changes to address caseload and victim services needs.

The district attorney’s office said it will ask commissioners to absorb a 5 percent contractual increase for Westlaw, which staff estimated at about $2,979, and to authorize creation of three roles: a witness secretary, a complex‑crimes attorney and a felony‑5 attorney. "Westlaw is an essential service," a prosecutor said, adding it supports appeals work and quick access to statutes and case law.

Officials said the staffing proposal will be funded by restructuring existing positions rather than by adding a new general‑fund burden: the office plans to delete a felony‑6 attorney, a misdemeanor‑2 attorney and a felony‑4 attorney and reclassify others. "We are keeping this as a net‑zero budget," the district attorney said, noting Chapter‑59 account balances and the narrow permissible uses of pretrial diversion funds.

The office also requested two‑step and reclassification increases for several support and supervisory positions paid from special funds; staff said there is about $180,000 available in the Chapter‑59 account and roughly $500,000 in the pretrial diversion account to cover those changes. Commissioners asked for written line‑item detail and for exact dollar calculations of benefits and long‑term cost implications.

The presentation emphasized staff retention and training: the DA described efforts to add paralegals and senior prosecutors to mentor younger lawyers, and noted recent hires and returns from retirement that have reduced reliance on outside counsel. No formal vote was required at the workshop; commissioners requested follow‑up information and documentation prior to any final budget action.