Carson City Supervisors OK new Public Defender Office, budget approval pending
The Carson City Board of Supervisors held a meeting Thursday to discuss the creation of a new Carson City Public Defender's Office.
Currently, Carson City's Indigent Defense Services Plan requires the Nevada State Public Defender's Office (SPD) to provide the primary layer of indigent defense representation in Carson City. Now that the SPD has become short-staffed, they can no longer provide the defense services to eligible defendants in Carson City.
As a result, Carson City and the Nevada Department of Indigent Defense Services developed and proposed a corrective action plan to create and staff an Office of the Public Defender in Carson City.
An amendment to the Carson City Indigent Defense Services Plan was also proposed for the provision that Carson City Public Defender will provide a primary layer of indigent defense services in Carson City. The adjacent proposed budget of $2,010,513.40 covers salaries and benefits for attorneys and support staff, other operating expenses and one-shot funds for equipment and furnishing for the office, all necessary to get the new office started.
The amendment, budget and corrective action plan were approved subjective to the to the addition that the board would choose the person who would act as the Carson City Public Defender.
The proposed ordinance following this decision public defender officially establishes the Office of the Public Defender in Carson City as the provider of legal and indigent defense services when appointed by the courts in Carson City. The ordinance was also approved.
The final budget will be approved by the board before moving forward.