Fee Hike for Public Defender Draws Criticism in Mullica
By ROB SPAHR Staff Writer, 609-272-7283
Published: Thursday, February 19, 2009
The committee informally agreed, by a 3-2 vote last week, to move forward with increasing the public defender fee from $100 to $200. The increase is expected to be officially introduced Tuesday.....Continue Reading
Mayor Janet Forman said Wednesday that the increase is needed to cover the $1,700 raise the committee recently approved for its public defender.
"We went out on the open market to see how much a public defender costs, and $3,600 is what we found," Forman said.
Forman said the $200 fee was the maximum allowed by law, but added it is "still a great deal for someone who can't afford an attorney on their own."
"You're getting a very good attorney for that money," she said, adding the township's public defender tried 30 cases last year. "And look at all the extra money it will bring in."
If the township approves the fee increase, defendants who can't afford to hire an attorney here would pay twice what their counterparts in neighboring Hammonton pay and $50 more than those in Egg Harbor City.
The proposed increase drew strong criticism from Committeeman Michael St. Amour.
"It really seems to me that we're penalizing those who have the least money," said St. Amour, calling the fees a regressive tax. "We're not looking at raising fees on building permits for people who can afford to increase the size of their homes. What we're doing is doubling the fee for something that only applies to the poor."
Forman said the township's construction fees are already too high and raising them was not an option.
"Aren't all of us taxpayers indigent at this point," Forman said, referring to the current economic crisis. "Two hundred dollars is still a reasonable amount to spend to be appointed by a good attorney."
But St. Amour insisted that $200 was high enough to deter some people from coming to court at all.
"If you apply for the public defender and get denied, you lose that $200," he said. "If they don't have $200, they are simply not going to pay it or they could just not show up to court at all."
E-mail Robert Spahr: RSpahr@pressofac.com
This story was taken from the news source stated above. It is not necessarily the opinion of The Elwood Vol. Fire Company or it's members.
