MONROE - The Green County District Attorney's office is feeling the effect of a tighter state budget this year.
Assistant Green County District Attorney Jeff Kohl, along with other assistant district attorneys across the state, will have to take five days off to help the state make up a $1.5 million shortfall in the Wisconsin Department of Administration budget.
Kohl has to take his days off before the end of June, when the state's fiscal year ends.
According to Jennifer Donnelly, executive assistant of the Department of Administration, the state has met with representatives from the Association of State Prosecutors to try to come up with a solution for the budget shortfall.
Kohl has been with the Green County office since the late 1980s. He's the only assistant district attorney in the county.
While not having an assistant for five days will cause some headaches for District Attorney Gary Luhman, he said the workload can be adjusted to make things easier.
"We can work around those days," Luhman said.
One solution is to schedule the days for when the D.A.'s office isn't as busy, Luhman said.
In December, the state sent a letter to all district attorneys to inform them that assistants could be laid off. Luhman said nothing more has come of the letter. He said there have been discussions at the state level but no final plan for layoffs has been proposed. He doesn't know if assistant district attorneys would be laid off based on seniority or if an assistant would be laid off from every office in the state.
If the layoffs were based on seniority Kohl would be one of the last to go, since he has about 23 years experience, Luhman said.
David Knaapen of the Association of State Prosecutors is an assistant district attorney in Portage County. He said the assistant district attorneys began taking days off around the first of the year. He said the union that represents assistant district attorneys hasn't been able to reach an agreement with the state about more time off in the future.
Until more negotiating is done, assistants will have to take five days before the end of June, he said.
Assistant Green County District Attorney Jeff Kohl, along with other assistant district attorneys across the state, will have to take five days off to help the state make up a $1.5 million shortfall in the Wisconsin Department of Administration budget.
Kohl has to take his days off before the end of June, when the state's fiscal year ends.
According to Jennifer Donnelly, executive assistant of the Department of Administration, the state has met with representatives from the Association of State Prosecutors to try to come up with a solution for the budget shortfall.
Kohl has been with the Green County office since the late 1980s. He's the only assistant district attorney in the county.
While not having an assistant for five days will cause some headaches for District Attorney Gary Luhman, he said the workload can be adjusted to make things easier.
"We can work around those days," Luhman said.
One solution is to schedule the days for when the D.A.'s office isn't as busy, Luhman said.
In December, the state sent a letter to all district attorneys to inform them that assistants could be laid off. Luhman said nothing more has come of the letter. He said there have been discussions at the state level but no final plan for layoffs has been proposed. He doesn't know if assistant district attorneys would be laid off based on seniority or if an assistant would be laid off from every office in the state.
If the layoffs were based on seniority Kohl would be one of the last to go, since he has about 23 years experience, Luhman said.
David Knaapen of the Association of State Prosecutors is an assistant district attorney in Portage County. He said the assistant district attorneys began taking days off around the first of the year. He said the union that represents assistant district attorneys hasn't been able to reach an agreement with the state about more time off in the future.
Until more negotiating is done, assistants will have to take five days before the end of June, he said.