Budget shortfall update

The director of the statewide public defender network was quoted in the paper as saying that the budget shortfall is actually a product of timing. The new defender network is largely financed on an additional fee for filing civil cases and an application fee for public defender services. The director took the position that the system for collecting the monies has only been in place for nine months, leaving a 3-month shortfall. That amounts to $9.5 million.