05-02-1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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q'Sr--IStj ~ The letter from Hall County Sheriff James Fosket was read concerning the village law enforcement contracts. Hartman presented a survey of the various surrounding counties and the fees charged. A meeting with the village boards needs to be held and also meet with the sheriff. It is a state statute the the county sheriff patrol the county. Any additional services could be added. The Legislative meeting is to be held May 3. Discussion was held on the resolution concerning indigent defense. Stelk made motion an~ Quandt se~onded to .~ign Resolution #1653 on indigent defense reconunendl.ng the, ~PPol.ntmen!~1~jjudicial district public defender. Abernethy, Hartman, Landis, Leslie, Quandt, Rosenkotter and Stelk voted yes and none voted no. Recessed at 12:10 P.M. 1:15 P.M. Returned to regular session. RESOLUTION -J!=. /~ [53 WHEREAS, Nebraska counties had indigent defense expenditures totalling approximately $8,168,000 for Fiscal Year 1993 and nearly $10,000,000 estimated for Fiscal Year 1994, an amount which has nearly doubled since 1989; and . WHEREAS, Nebraska is one of only six states identified in a 1993 report issued by the Indigent Defense Task Force appointed by then Chief Justice William Hastings in which the cost of indigent defense is borne entirely by the counties, with no assistance from the state, and which fact this Task Force further relied on in recommending that the State of Nebraska become a financial partner in providing such services; and WHEREAS, it is not appropriate that indigent defense services be financed entirely by the property taxpayers of ~ ./j' County and other counties in Nebraska; and WHER~AS,anumberofNebras~acounties, ~1 .I County included, are struggling to find workable and practical ways to finance in Igent defense and other necessary services within existing budget and levy lids and limitations and in conjunction with the already significant property tax burden which generally exists in Nebraska due, in part, to growing indigent defense caseloads; and WHEREAS, in 1969 the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 950 (Neb.Rev.Stat. fi29-3909 et seq.) authorizing a district court judge or judges, when circumstances warrant, to appoint a public defender for their respective judicial district or combination of judicial districts, the costs of such judicial district public defender to be paid out of state funds appropriated to the office of the Governor by the Legislature for such purposes; and WHEREAS, no such judicial district public defender has ever been appointed in Nebraska pursuant to these statutes, nor has the Nebraska Legislature ever appropriated any funds for these purposes; and WHEREAS, C".d /,.p . County is part of the .!l!.!! Judicial District; and NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the rL!djJ (7tlU4~ Board of ~':Pt'}AU~J requests the district judges of the ~Judicial Dis rict to formally examine the necessity of appointing a judicial district public defender for the ~ Judicial District pursuant to Neb.Rev.Stat. fi29-3910 (1994 Cum.Supp.) and to take all such further steps as authorized, including proper certification to the Governor. Chairp~ /~~~ fJZ~,1 X~~ I .