County calls for state-funded indigent defense system
NORWICH – Chenango County is calling on New York State to take up the burden of indigent legal defense services which local officials argue would save county taxpayers approximately half a million dollars.
Members of the County Board recently passed a resolution requesting that the state legislature create a 100 percent state-funded indigent legal defense system. According to county officials, the measure would result in tremendous savings to the county by relieving local taxpayers of the public defender’s nearly $600,000 per year budget.
“If the state took over 75 or 80 percent of that budget, it would equate to about $500,000,” explained County Treasurer William Craine. “If that’s phased in over five years, we would see savings of about $100,000 each year.”
For more than 50 years, the New York State legislature has delegated the responsibility of providing counsel for individuals charged with a crime to counties. But the decision to root that responsibility at the county level has resulted in a system where county and local taxpayers are strained with the cost of what’s legally the state’s responsibility.
As it stands, Chenango County foots more than 80 percent the cost of indigent legal defense services which is paid through real property taxes, said Craine. Any relief in the system would lead to lower property taxes.
Chenango’s plea for a state-funded indigent legal defense system is the product of a series of successful lawsuits brought about by counties that sought similar demands. The argument is that if the state is going to fund legal services in a handful of counties, it ought to fund counties for the same services across the state.
A copy of the resolution has been forwarded to the offices of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, senators James Seward and Fred Akshar, assemblymen Clifford Crouch and Gary Finch, as well as other counties and the New york State Association of Counties.
Regardless of the local savings that a state-funded indigent legal defense system would provide, mandate relief for Medicaid is still in the county’s radar. A state-funded Medicaid system, if adopted, would save the county millions of dollars. It remains the county’s top priority in terms of mandate relief, said Craine.
“We’re the only state in the country that participates in a county-funded Medicaid program, and we participate to the tune of a little over $9 million per year,” he said. “We raise $25 million in real property taxes. If the state took that over, we could reduce everyone’s real property tax bill by almost 40 percent in the next tax cycle.”
County officials have passed resolutions calling for Medicaid mandate relief in previous years, but to no avail.
Members of the County Board recently passed a resolution requesting that the state legislature create a 100 percent state-funded indigent legal defense system. According to county officials, the measure would result in tremendous savings to the county by relieving local taxpayers of the public defender’s nearly $600,000 per year budget.
“If the state took over 75 or 80 percent of that budget, it would equate to about $500,000,” explained County Treasurer William Craine. “If that’s phased in over five years, we would see savings of about $100,000 each year.”
For more than 50 years, the New York State legislature has delegated the responsibility of providing counsel for individuals charged with a crime to counties. But the decision to root that responsibility at the county level has resulted in a system where county and local taxpayers are strained with the cost of what’s legally the state’s responsibility.
As it stands, Chenango County foots more than 80 percent the cost of indigent legal defense services which is paid through real property taxes, said Craine. Any relief in the system would lead to lower property taxes.
Chenango’s plea for a state-funded indigent legal defense system is the product of a series of successful lawsuits brought about by counties that sought similar demands. The argument is that if the state is going to fund legal services in a handful of counties, it ought to fund counties for the same services across the state.
A copy of the resolution has been forwarded to the offices of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, senators James Seward and Fred Akshar, assemblymen Clifford Crouch and Gary Finch, as well as other counties and the New york State Association of Counties.
Regardless of the local savings that a state-funded indigent legal defense system would provide, mandate relief for Medicaid is still in the county’s radar. A state-funded Medicaid system, if adopted, would save the county millions of dollars. It remains the county’s top priority in terms of mandate relief, said Craine.
“We’re the only state in the country that participates in a county-funded Medicaid program, and we participate to the tune of a little over $9 million per year,” he said. “We raise $25 million in real property taxes. If the state took that over, we could reduce everyone’s real property tax bill by almost 40 percent in the next tax cycle.”
County officials have passed resolutions calling for Medicaid mandate relief in previous years, but to no avail.
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