The Salt Lake County Commission answered the Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association's plea for more money in 1995.

Commissioners restored $123,499 to the association's budget as it adopted a final 1995 budget Wednesday. The association said without that money, it would be unable to maintain its current staff or hire two additional attorneys.F. John Hill, association director, said the new attorneys are critical given the association's burgeoning caseload. The legal defenders will handle about 576 more cases this year than in 1993, Hill said.

The commissioners also were sympathetic with residents who asked for money to finish Woodstock Meadows Park, 5840 S. 1075 East. They found $100,000, which will allow the county to qualify for a $100,000 matching grant.

The money will pay for a restroom and to finish fields.

Parks get a lot of attention in the $346.6 million budget. The county set aside $3 million to buy land for new parks, expand amenities at existing parks and begin construction of the Old Mill Golf Course.

Law enforcement also will get a boost. The county will match a federal grant to hire 20 new deputy sheriffs and it will construct a new youth services building.

The county pulled reserve funds to bolster the legal defenders and Woodstock Meadows projects, said Nelson Williams, county auditor.

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