To: Martin L. Cousineau, Finance Committee Chairperson
From: David Leyton, Prosecutor
title
RE: Approval of a request to create, post, & fill five (5) new Paralegal positions and three (3) new Assistant Prosecutor positions; THIS IS A GENERAL FUND INCREASE REQUEST FOR FYE 2026-2027 BUDGET OF $1,173,459.00
recommendation
BOARD ACTION REQUESTED:
The Prosecutor’s Office requests approval to create, establish, post, fund, and fill five (5) new paralegal positions and three (3) new Assistant Prosecutor positions.
BACKGROUND:
The prosecution of cases has changed dramatically in recent years. All of our criminal cases, down to even small misdemeanor cases, are accompanied by multiple hours of body worn cameras per officer, multiple angles and multiple hours of cruiser cameras, in addition to the mandate that all interviews be audio and video recorded where applicable, and the photographs we have always expected to see on criminal cases. In addition to those items, we are now contending with cell phone extractions and triangulations, ring cameras on every residence, surveillance videos from multiple businesses, and social media account downloads. Not only do these items take a monumental amount of storage that we must pay for, but the hours needed for our office staff to review, redact, and prepare these items for trial is something that is both unprecedented and set to increase exponentially in this digital age. One hour of video can take at least triple the time to process by the time we review it, redact it, render it, and make it suitable for trial presentation. It is a routine occurrence that a cell phone extraction or a Facebook download that we receive is tens of thousands of pages of printed data and also contain hours of photos and videos. We review the technology of inmates including their calls, video visits, and emails as they also contain valuable evidence. Trial presentations have also become digital. We are presenting cases digitally, storing and cataloguing evidence digitally, all of which takes money and time. Prosecuting and trying a case successfully has become a technological endeavor we never fathomed a decade ago. The complexity of the case and the case evidence outpaces the staffing levels we are afforded with the crime rates in our county.
DISCUSSION:
The amount of work required to competently handle such a workload necessitates a team of attorneys, advocates and support staff to address all the facets involved in the process. Even with our recent staff additions, permitted by state funding, we do not have enough staff to keep pace to attend to these State mandated duties that we have in every case we prosecute. In order for our office to maintain any degree of serviceable level, we respectfully request these positions.
IMPACT ON HUMAN RESOURCES:
The costs associated to create, post and fill the requested positions.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
Additional staff: 3 APAs: (cost per APA $63,554 - $185,518) x 3 = $190,662 - $556,554 Paralegal: (cost per paralegal $63,467 - $123,381) x 5 = $317,335 - 616,905 Subtotal for personnel: $507,997 - $1,173,459
IMPACT ON FACILITIES:
Care and maintenance costs that are associated with eight new employees.
IMPACT ON TECHNOLOGY:
Costs to outfit eight additional employees with laptops and monitors and docking stations ring central phones accounts and support which are accounted for through central services.
CONFORMITY TO COUNTY PRIORITIES:
The addition of new staff will promote safe communities through more efficient prosecution of crimes.
resolution
TO THE HONORABLE CHAIRPERSON AND MEMBERS OF THE GENESEE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
BE IT RESOLVED, by this Board of County Commissioners of Genesee County, Michigan, that the request by the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney to authorize establishing, posting, funding, and filling five (5) new Paralegal positions and three (3) new Assistant Prosecuting Attorney positions, is approved (a copy of the memorandum request and supporting documentation being on file with the official records of the August 12, 2026 meeting of the Finance Committee of this Board).