MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers announced the creation of nearly 65 new assistant district attorney positions statewide including a .6 position in Green County.
It was the first addition to his office since 1990, said Green County District Attorney Craig Nolen.
“It is quite a bit of good news,” said Nolen, who has one assistant DA, Laura Kohl.
The person hired would work three days a week, Nolen said, and the post comes with benefits, making it easier to recruit someone.
“Still it will be a challenge to retain someone we hire because it’s not a full-time position,” he said.
Beginning next month, Nolen anticipates hiring a recent law school graduate or someone in private practice who wants the security of a state paycheck.
The state biennial budget added $3.2 million for salaries for assistant district attorneys who have served one year as of July. That amounted to a $2.09 hourly raise, said Tia Torhorst, a spokesperson for the Department of Administration. At $25.14 per hour or $1,276 biweekly, it’s “still not a great payday for an attorney,” Nolen said.
Nolen asked for a full-time assistant based on caseload. Nolen’s current active caseload totals 237 cases which includes 150 felony cases, 73 misdemeanor cases and two criminal traffic cases. Kohl has 285 active cases, which includes 37 felonies, he said.
The new hire will be assigned some of Kohl’s cases to “balance out the number of cases between us,” he said.
Evers called the creation of 64.9 new positions across 56 counties, “the largest state investment in the district attorney program in the state’s history and the first positions created by tax dollars in more than 10 years.
“For far too long our county district attorney offices have been doing more with less. This historic investment will enable our county officials to improve victims’ services, enhance diversion and treatment options for those struggling with substance use disorders, and address backlogs that are standing in the way of justice. District attorneys are on the front line of the criminal justice system and we can’t make the critical changes needed to reform our criminal justice system in Wisconsin if our county district attorney offices are overworked and understaffed,” said Evers in a prepared statement.
Prosecutors are state employees and counties pick up the cost of support staff and offices.
The state budget created 60.85 new prosecutor positions, which Evers vetoed. He sent the matter to DOA Secretary Joel Brennan for review along with the State Prosecutors Office. Within the DOA, the staffing was increased by approximately four positions that were reassigned among some counties based on backlogged cases, expansion of treatment alternatives and diversion programs and meeting with victims prior to making charging decisions.
Public defenders in private practice also received a pay raise in the state budget from $49 to $70 per hour, a move supported by several justice associations.
The shortage of defense attorneys willing to travel and work at $49 per hour impacts the pace of courts in northern and rural Wisconsin and fortunately had little local effect, Nolen said.
There are usually enough local defense attorneys to provide representation in Green County or in adjacent counties when needed.
“The only time it’s stretched a little thin is in cases where there’s hypothetically eight defendants and getting them all adequate representation would be more of a challenge,” he said.
Lafayette County didn’t request an additional assistant district attorney. The governor added a full-time assistant district attorney to Rock County, bringing their total to 15.