What a public defender’s office looks like in Hays County, study explains

Time appears to be running out for Hays County to apply for a grant to help fund a Public Defender’s Office.

May 11 was the “priority deadline” for the grant application to be filed with the Texas Indigent Defense Council (TIDC). The grant, which the county declined to seek last year, would partially fund the office. Last week, the TIDC released a 37-page study requested by county officials, laying out what such an office would look like.

The grant would cover half the office’s costs in its first four years of operation. Commissioners rejected a proposal by County Judge Ruben Becerra to apply for the grant last year, citing lack of information.

But, it’s possible an application could still be filed by the end of the month.