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City, solicitor's office make a $50,000 deal
By
Robert Behre
The Post and Courier
Sunday, June 21, 2009
In an
unusual arrangement underscoring how state budget cuts have hit law enforcement,
the city of Charleston has agreed to help pay the salary of a 9th Circuit
assistant solicitor, and the solicitor's office has agreed the prosecutor will
focus on drug crimes in Charleston.
The
$50,000 agreement was approved by City Council last week and takes effect July
1.
Ninth
Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said she appreciates the city's help, and
while it guarantees that an assistant solicitor will focus at least 75 percent
of the time on Charleston drug cases, it shouldn't have any negative effect on
prosecuting drug cases in other jurisdictions.
"It just
firms up what we're already doing," she said. "I think it was a smart move on
their part, and I'm very grateful."
Wilson
said she is approaching everyone she can for budget help in the wake of deep
state budget cuts. The city of North Charleston is helping fund her office's
criminal domestic violence program. "I'm also pursuing numerous grants, and
we'll see what happens with those," she said.
Typically, municipalities don't contribute financially to the operation of
solicitors' offices, or get special attention in return.
Wilson,
who attended the City Council meeting, said the city funding would keep a
position from being
eliminated in her office. Even with the city's help, she said she still could
lose up to three lawyer's positions this year unless her office lands one or
more grants.
The
city's $50,000 will come from its narcotics asset forfeiture fund, which has
more than $600,000. The agreement runs through the end of June 2010.
Wilson
said that while County Council agreed to keep her funding at the current level,
she has lost one-time grants that have helped fund prosecutors in the past, and
there's also the possibility of more state budget cuts.
"If we
don't get any grants or any cuts, I think I still would lose three attorneys,"
she said.
Reach
Robert Behre
at 937-5771 or rbehre@postandcourier.com.
Reach
David Slade
at 937-5552 or
dslade@postandcourier.com.
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