District Court Judge Michael Pope gave a report on Wednesday to the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners regarding the cost of providing legal defense to those who ask for a court appointed attorney. He said the cost of a criminal defense in the state had risen to about $172,000, of which the county pays about $104,000 due to changes in the criminal defense system. Cost cutting measures such as virtual meetings, and covering certain expenses through the use of grant funding would help to keep costs down. Pope also said the county must keep it’s attorneys at a competitive pay rate or risk losing them. Many counties are raising the hourly rate paid to attorneys to anywhere from $75 to $100 an hour and that Gogebic must stay on par.