District Attorney Seeks Five Million for Staff, Rural Coverage Boost

On December 9 District Attorney Chris Perroza delivered a briefing to the Lane County Board of Commissioners outlining growing workload pressures and a proposed investment to expand his office. Perroza said his staff is strained by increasing discovery obligations, a rise in expungement work and growing public records demands. To address that strain he proposed a package of resources totaling roughly five million dollars to hire additional attorneys, investigators and victim advocates aimed at speeding prosecutions and improving coverage for rural parts of the county.

The proposal landed at a moment when commissioners are setting budget priorities for the next fiscal cycle and considering whether to place public safety funding before voters in the coming years. Commissioners listened to the presentation as they weigh fiscal trade offs, service needs and the political implications of any voter referral. The briefing will inform those deliberations as elected leaders decide how to balance criminal justice staffing needs with other county responsibilities.

For residents the immediate impacts would include potential reductions in case processing times and expanded victim services, especially in outlying communities where travel distances and limited local resources can delay investigations. Faster handling of discovery obligations can reduce court backlogs and limit the risk of cases being dismissed for procedural delay. Expanded expungement capacity could affect people seeking to clear records and rejoin the workforce, while more robust public records handling can improve transparency and responsiveness.

County officials did not finalize budget decisions on December 9, but the presentation clarified the scale of the shortfall Perroza believes exists. Any move to fund the proposal through a voter referral would bring the issue into forthcoming local discussions about taxation and public safety priorities. As commissioners continue budget deliberations residents in Eugene and smaller Lane County communities will want to track upcoming hearings and decisions that could shape courtroom staffing and the delivery of justice across the county.