Power County to get a public defender, sharing with Oneida County

When the next fiscal year comes in, Power County plans to have a public defender’s office established. It will be shared with Oneida County.

Prior to this, both Power County and Oneida County have contracted an attorney out of their counties for public defender services.

Right now, the position is budgeted for $200,000, which includes costs for equipment and supplies. With the counties sharing the public defender, Power County Commission chairman Ron Funk said it’ll help with costs, along with $50,000 from the state to help fund the new office.

“I’m not sure how long they budgeted out for that, but it definitely helps small counties to put this together,” Funk said.

The public defender’s caseload will likely be 60 percent Power County cases and 40 percent Oneida County cases. Funk said they will be seeking people for this position soon.

The new public defender is set to start Oct. 1.