CHENANGO COUNTY – Pending approval from the County Board of Supervisors next week, the Chenango County Public Defender’s Office stands to benefit from a state grant that will increase the size of the department, at least temporarily.

The New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services, whose purpose is to ensure appropriate and competent legal services to indigent clients, has awarded the Public Defender’s Office a $178,300 grant which will allow the department to hire two additional part-time positions – one clerk, and one assistant defender – in the coming months. Both positions are contingent on receiving state funds and do not include fringe benefits that would come at the county’s expense.

Should the grant be approved by the Board of Supervisors, the department insists that those two positions will go away if and state funding is no longer available.

A case to accept the grant was made before members of multiple county committees in February including the Safety and Rules, Personnel, and Finance committees. Public Defender John Cameron explained that the grant, with its three-year lifespan, will help the department meet mandates passed down by the state legislature.