Durham County\u2019s district attorney is warning proposed city budget cuts next year could have immediate impacts on her office.<\/p>\n
Read more Duke switches health insurance for students, steering them to preferred providers<\/a><\/p>\n Monday afternoon, before the Durham City Council\u2019s 7 p.m. meeting, Satana Deberry sent a letter to council members and City Manager Bo Ferguson expressing her \u201cprofound disappointment\u201d with the city\u2019s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.<\/p>\n The budget, as Ferguson presented May 18, proposes a $313,493 cut in funding to the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, which oversees the Office of the District Attorney. Deberry said that will result in a 10% reduction in staff and \u201cdismantle almost three decades of cooperation between this office and the City of Durham.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferguson\u2019s $766.1 million spending plan<\/a> keeps the city\u2019s property tax rate flat but recommends funding cuts for some areas, increases to utility bills, and no merit pay increases for city employees. The proposed budget does not add any new police positions, but the city has a long-standing mission to fill vacancies within the Durham Police Department and expand the department\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n The City Council plans to vote on the budget proposal on June 15.<\/p>\n The money slated to be cut pays for two assistant district attorneys (ADAs). These prosecutors are stationed daily within the District Criminal Court, District Traffic Court and Juvenile Delinquency Court where there is the highest volume, Deberry said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe positions are already severely underfunded, with the ADAs in those positions making only $65,000\/year. The market salary for entry level attorneys in the Triangle is twice that,\u201d she wrote. \u201cMy staff are already some of the lowest paid attorneys in state government.\u201d<\/p>\n Cutting these position mid-year, Deberry said, will have a big impact on young attorneys entering the job market that is \u201conly active once a year, and summer is not that time.\u201d<\/p>\n For the prosecutors in the district attorney\u2019s office who will remain, their caseloads will grow, slowing the legal system more.<\/p>\n \u201cJustice delayed is justice denied,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n Outside of position cuts, Deberry said the ADAs are also integral to the Durham Expunction and Restoration (DEAR) Clinic, another program facing proposed funding rollbacks.<\/p>\n The DA\u2019s office and DEAR have restored drivers\u2019 licenses and cleared the records of thousands of Durham County residents. Deberry wrote that the clinic has helped forgive over $2 million in fines and fees. The money is returned to the local economy, expands employment and education access, and lowers insurance costs, she wrote.<\/p>\n Ferguson called the proposed cut among the \u201cmost grueling choices of an unprecedentedly restrictive budget cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis budget was driven by a substantial, one-time drop in property tax revenues following millions of dollars in successful revaluation appeals,\u201d Ferguson wrote in an email to Deberry. \u201cConfronted with a shrinking General Fund amid persistent inflation, rising fuel costs, and expanding operational needs, the City has been forced to make deep sacrifices across the entire organization to stabilize its financial footing without raising property taxes for our residents.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more Krispy Kreme is giving away doughnuts \u2014 again. How to get a free one & when<\/a><\/p>\n The city manager said the decision to eliminate the funding for the ADAs \u201cdoes not reflect a lack of commitment to public safety or equitable justice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut rather the stark reality of our current municipal revenue shortfall,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n On May 18, Ferguson told the City Council that property tax appeals, mainly those from commercial properties, resulted in about $14 million in refunds that reduced revenues for the city.<\/p>\n Many of the 10,000 appeals were granted, which reduced the assessed tax base by $2.6 billion, Ferguson said during the budget presentation.<\/p>\n Durham is cutting 10 positions across various departments, among other budget cuts.<\/p>\n As the City Council talks about public safety, including solutions to gun violence, Deberry pointed to a paradox in the proposed cuts. The city seeks to add new officers to the Durham Police Department by filling vacancies.<\/p>\n \u201cHiring more law enforcement officers means there must be more prosecutors,\u201d Deberry wrote. \u201cFor the city to hire more police while cutting prosecutors simply does not make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Durham\u2019s proposed cuts come as the next DA in neighboring Wake County is asking that county and several towns to help pay for more prosecutors.<\/p>\n Last month, Wake\u2019s incoming DA, Wiley Nickel, detailed a $603,000 request<\/a> to add more assistant district attorneys and legal assistants, and to find a local supplement for public defenders. The funding would also improve mental health court in the county.<\/p>\n \u201cWe remain open to ongoing dialogue as the City Council reviews the proposed budget to explore how we can best navigate these systemic hardships together and preserve the safety and equity of our local legal system,\u201d Ferguson said.<\/p>\n A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at Durham City Council meeting for residents to comment on the budget proposal.<\/i><\/p>\n Read more List: Watch parties for the 2026 Stanley Cup around the Triangle for Canes fans<\/a><\/p>\n Budget Cut Letter to City Council From Durham DA <\/a> by Kristen Johnson <\/a> <\/p>\n This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 5:27 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Durham DA Satana Deberry said the city\u2019s proposed budget cut to the state Administrative Office of the Courts will result to 10% staff reduction in DA office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\n