09/27/2018- A new agreement with the state will lessen the impact funding court-appointed lawyers has on Menominee County. Judge Mary Barglind spoke to the county’s Board of Commissioners Tuesday and explained that a plan submitted by the county to meet Michigan Indigent Defense Commission standards has been approved by the legislature and signed off on by Governor Rick Snyder. She says the county is now set to receive more than $400-thousand annually for indigent defense program improvements.
And, Barglind adds, the agreement also lessens Menominee County’s share for funding the program from $130-thousand annually to about $113-thousand
The changes to Michigan’s indigent defense standards came about after a 2011 study showed the state ranked 44th in the nation for these types of services. Menominee County’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the new MIDC contract.