We are pleased with this progress and will continue our strong partnership with other public and private health care providers in Wisconsin to ensure that children are properly immunized.
With warm regards,
Kevin R. Hayden
Secretary
Referred to committee on Public Health, Senior Issues, Long Term Care and Privacy.
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
July 24, 2007
The Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of the allocation of prosecutor positions, as requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. The State has funded county‐level prosecutors, including district attorneys, deputy district attorneys, and assistant district attorneys, since 1990. As of July 1, 2006, there were 424.65 full‐time equivalent (FTE) county‐level prosecutors statewide. Fiscal year 2005‐06 expenditures totaled $44.4 million, including $40.8 million in general purpose revenue.
Each year, the State Prosecutors Office in the Department of Administration (DOA) calculates prosecutorial staffing needs in each county using a formula that considers current staffing levels and the number and types of cases prosecuted by each county. However, the formula has never been used to reallocate positions across counties. The current weighted caseload formula estimates that statewide, district attorneys' offices are understaffed by 117.33 FTE positions.
Prosecutors have expressed a number of concerns with the formula's calculation of staffing needs. We found that while the formula's basic methodology is sound, it uses incomplete data and out‐of‐date measures of the time required to prosecute cases. Updating the formula will require use of a more accurate data source and a new time study to measure prosecutors' work.
We also examined the extent to which prosecutors' workloads are affected by other agencies, including prisons and the courts. We found that cases involving prison inmates are relatively rare but can be time‐consuming, and that better coordination between district attorneys and prison officials could assist in mitigating the workload impact of crimes committed by inmates.
We identify several issues for the Legislature to consider in allocating prosecutor positions. For example, creating a pool of “floating" assistant district attorneys could help counties manage unexpected or short‐term workload increases.
We appreciate the courtesy extended to us by DOA, district attorneys and their staffs, and other state and local officials we contacted during our evaluation. DOA's response follows the appendices.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Joint Legislative Council
July 26, 2007
The Honorable, the Senate:
I am pleased to transmit to you the following report to the 2007 Legislature on legislation introduced by the Joint Legislative Council:
RL 2007-6 Special Committee on Navigability and
Drainage Ditches
[2007 Senate Bills 235 and 236]
I would appreciate your including this letter in the Journal for the information of the membership. Additional copies of this report are available at the Legislative Council Staff offices, One East Main, Suite 401, or from our web page at
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lc/
Sincerely,
Terry C. Anderson
Director
__________________
Pursuant to Senate Rule 17 (5), Representative Petrowski added as a cosponsor of
Senate Joint Resolution 53
.
