Judge: juvenile defense costs rising; county pays low hourly rate to appointed counsel

The commission heard that juvenile-related legal fees are rising and could require budget adjustments. The judge said the court added "the $10,000 increase for what is called legal fees, other juvenile." He explained these funds reimburse attorneys appointed to represent indigent parents in abuse-and-neglect cases.

The judge said the county pays appointed counsel about "$80 an hour," which he described as a low rate compared with neighboring counties. He also said monthly spending is "running at about 11,000 a month" and that at current trends the annual amount could push budgets closer to the $120,000–$130,000 range.

Commissioners asked whether the county had flexibility in contracting or moving to yearly agreements to control costs; the judge said some criminal- or delinquency-type juvenile representation is contracted annually to cap spending. The commission will review actuals and consider whether to adjust the legal-fees line in the coming budget cycles.