NORWICH – The Office of the Chenango County Public Defender will receive an extra bout of financial support to pay its staff.

The department revealed to county legislators Wednesday that it is slated to receive a $89,154 grant from the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services. According to the Public Defender’s Office, grant funds will be used to offset salary for one of its two assistant public defenders until 2016.

The Public Defender’s Office plans to allocate $29,718 per year for the next three years, which it says will cover approximately half the salary an assistant public defender. Since the Public Defender’s Office was not given notification of the grant until after adoption of the 2014 budget, these unanticipated grant funds will supplement what is already budgeted.