A new law in the State of Illinois creates an official Office of a Public Defender. To keep control local of who becomes the Public Defender in Warren County, the Board has passed a Resolution, creating their own Office of a Public Defender, explains Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair Sean Cavanaugh:
“That person will be dedicated exclusively to being the Public Defender in Warren County. They cannot do side jobs to make ends meet because the salary is at a 90 percent of the State’s Attorney salary and the state initially will pay 66 and a third percent of that salary and that percentage of reimbursement will then increase over time. By doing this before January 1, 2027, it allows the elected judges of the Ninth Circuit to appoint the Public Defender for Warren County, thus keeping the control of this appointment within the circuit. My guess is it will be Kyle Worby,” states Cavanaugh.
“We will still contract with an Associate Public Defender and that is Blaise Rogers. We will be saving money. We will have a dedicated Public Defender. There is also a grant that has been used to pay for overhead costs,” Cavanaugh adds.
The term for the new Public Defender in Warren County will be ten years.
