Delaware County prosecutor’s office increase funded, but vote not unanimous

The Delaware County Council has voted to increase funding for the county prosecutor’s office, after a dire ask because of increased crime.  But as IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, the vote wasn’t unanimous.

Last month, county prosecuting attorney Eric Hoffman said an increase in murders and drug overdose deaths and lack of salary increases to keep qualified lawyers has severely hindered the county’s abilities in court.

Read More: ‘Public safety emergency’: Delaware County prosecutor to ask for more funding next month

He submitted a request Tuesday for more than $129,000.  Some will go to the legal services budget – like transcripts and witness fees for a greater number of court cases.  The rest will go to salary increases and small stipends for deputy prosecutors.

Hoffman says current salaries aren’t competitive and he’s had prosecutors leave for other counties.

As he told the council last month, “I looked at all the other counties that were hiring deputy prosecutors in the state. And we were well below – by $10,000 or more – from every other county. We’re talking small counties, counties with, like, 40,000 people. Counties that don’t have murders.”

He requested a base salary increase of about $10,600 for each deputy prosecutor.  That brings the salary up to about $85,000.

Republican councilman William Hughes practiced law for 50 years.  He says Muncie is not a destination for lawyers and it’s hard to recruit when Elkhart is paying deputy prosecutors $100,000.

Hoffman’s office has two openings right now, and one has been open for six months.

“If I can’t hire a prosecutor for Circuit [Court] 4, what am I going to tell the victim’s family in a murder case that’s coming up? ‘I don’t have somebody to try your case.’  What do you want me to tell them?”

Hoffman said he didn’t ask for this increase during last fall’s budget hearings because while the budget was due July 1, the county saw 10 murders throughout the whole of July, a vast increase.

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It was the timing that led Republican councilman Ryan Webb to vote no on the increase.  He says he supports the prosecutor’s office, but wanted to wait until the next budget to approve salary increases.

“If this was a budget meeting and this was included, I’d vote yes immediately for it….  I feel like, if we do this, we’re going to open Pandora’s box.”

Republican councilman Eugene Whitehead voted no after questioning how stipends for current employees would be given out.

Hoffman repeatedly cited a report from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council that says Delaware County is 23 prosecutors short of what it needs to properly do the job.  Hoffman said he’s not asking for 23 – he’ll be happy with two.

Hoffman is also hoping a bill in the House this legislative session (HB 1371) would let him hire one or two more prosecuting attorneys, paid for by the state.  That bill did not get voted on in a House committee by a legislative deadline, but the idea could get added to another bill before session ends in April.