Prosecutor seeks more funding as county approves more deputies
After the Branch County Commission committed last week to fund six new deputies in the county’s 2024 budget, Prosecutor Zack Stempien wanted commissioners to commit between $100,000 and $150,000 more for his overwhelmed office.
Stempien said of the sheriff’s request, “He needed more staff to do his job. I agree with that. I need more staff to do my job. That’s what I’m asking for.”
Chairman Tim Stoll told Stempien he understood the need, but there was a difference. “We did have a committee that came back with funding recommendations. We don’t currently have that recommendation for a funding mechanism for this.”
“Having more deputies and protecting the public doesn’t go anywhere if I don’t have staff to prosecute,” Stempien said.
The prosecutor again presented the statistics. In 2022, the three attorneys prosecuted 111 cases per person, the second-highest caseload in the state. Van Buren prosecuted 115 per attorney and St. Joseph 90. The statewide average per attorney is 46.
“Statistically speaking, we handle the most felonies or second most felonies per attorney in the entire state of Michigan,” Stempien said. “I think that’s important because as we put more road deputies on, it’s only going to grow.”
Stempien said the public needs to understand the other duties required case review and issuance of warrants, appeal litigation, death review at the prison, elder abuse, neglect and abuse with other juvenile cases, driver’s license appeals, personal protection orders, and motions to set aside convictions. With the state’s “Clean Slate” law, those increased from one or two a year to four a month.
The prosecutor can move those duties to other attorneys, but the county would pay or lose revenue. “I don’t think that people of Branch County elected me to send my work to somebody else,” he said.
The prosecutor must advise police agencies and consult with them and prosecutors are supposed to attend interviews at the new Child Advocacy Center. Stempien’s office has not in months because of a lack of time for the three attorneys.
Not required by law, since early this year, prosecutors have attended probation violation hearings.
From just one violator sent to prison in three years, “We’ve sent over a dozen people to prison on probation violations. I think overall, it’s had a net effect on this community to clean things up," Stampien said.
Stoll told Stempien, with no way to fund his request, “I can appreciate the challenge. But I think we would handle through the budget process.”
The commission voted 4-1 to not approve the funding, with Commissioner Jon Houtz the only yes vote.
County Administrator Bud Norman told commissioners that there was a $2 million shift for the current fiscal year with the loss of jail operation millage in 2021 of $900,000 and the end of the two-tier pay scale costing just over $500,000.
Norman balanced the 2023 budget by taking $1.1 million from the county’s fund balance reserves.
The county will face the same issue in 2024.
---Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Prosecutor seeks more funding as county approves more deputies
