Oklahoma's district attorneys appear set to ask lawmakers for a nearly $12 million budget increase when fiscal year 2022 budget hearings begin in the coming months, a request that may not be well received.
District Attorneys Council Director of Finance Bud Webster said in a recent meeting, state Budget Secretary Mike Mazzei was clear the state's finances don't look like they'll have turned a corner.
"Basically, on the budget requests, if possible, keep those flat. Do not ask for anything extra or additional, that the money's not going to be available and that they would prefer that the agencies try to hold the line in terms of their funding for this year and for next year," Webster said.
The proposed increase includes almost $8 million for general office operations, $2.1 million to make up for their current year budget cut and $1.7 million for a new case management system the DAC says is sorely needed.
Oklahoma County DA David Prater said prosecutors' needs are too great to ask for a flat budget, and if there's a time the state is going to fund information technology improvements like that case management system, it's this year.
"My concern is that we've lowballed this trying not to offend or trying not to shock the legislature. I would ask that we look at what we believe the true costs are going to be," Prater said.
District attorneys got $58.8 million in state funding in FY2020, the third-highest public safety appropriation behind the Department of Corrections, Department of Public Safety and District Courts.
The DAC's state appropriation is 37% higher than it was a decade ago, but some fees it used to collect have since started going to the general revenue fund.
