Despite hard-working employees, the Scott County Attorney's office is "rapidly approaching a breaking point." That's the conclusion of a consultant hired to evaluate the office, and Thursday night the board of supervisors will consider hiring two more attorneys.
Scott County Attorney Mike Walton says his staff of 16 attorneys handled more than 33,000 cases last year, far more than other counties in Iowa with staffs of similar size.
"I knew that it was a tough caseload - you can't overwork good employees - you overwork good employees and they move elsewhere. So it was re-assuring to see how well we're doing."
If approved, the new assistant attorneys will be hired next year.
The consultant says increasing crime in Scott County during the past ten years has created what it calls an "overwhelming workload" for the county attorney's office with no comparable increase in staff. And that the office is "significantly understaffed" compared with comparable counties in Iowa and across the midwest.
