County accepts funds for defending the poor

El Paso County has accepted millions in grants to hire more public defenders, but the grants are for a shorter time frame than originally expected.

The county’s public defenders have been struggling to handle a massive increase in cases. The funding should help counter that, but there is a catch.

“So after the grant runs off, runs out,” said Carlos Leon, commissioner for precinct 1, “after the second year I presume, we are required to maintain those positions?”

“Maintain the staffing, yes,” said Jaime Gandara, chief public defender for the county.

Gandara pushed for commissioners to accept the state funding, even though it puts the county on the hook for the full $1.2 million a year for 14 new positions in three years. He once again told county commissioners his office is facing a huge increase in the number of people qualifying for court appointed attorneys.
“That’s an increase of between 50 and 60 percent,” Gandara said. “It’s time and a half, one and a half times the number of cases we had last year.”

The grant approved by the state a would be for the full $1.2 million dollars a year asked for in the original grant application, but only for the next two years instead of four. The grant will still follow an abbreviated “stair-step” formula, with the county’s match starting at 25 percent the first year, then to 50 percent in the second year, to make it easier to incorporate it the cost into the county’s budget.

The county will be committed to continue to fund the positions after the grant ends.
“It’s going to allow us to hire enough people to handle the huge increase of caseload that we have so we can give dignified and proper representation with our clients,” Gandara said.

Gandara added that with the funds secured, his office can look to start the hiring process to hopefully be up to full strength by august.