The governing authority of any county or municipality within the judicial circuit which provides additional personnel for the office of circuit public defender may contract with the council to provide such additional personnel in the same manner as is provided for state paid personnel in this article. Any such personnel shall be considered state employees and shall be entitled to the same fringe benefits as other state paid personnel employed by the circuit public defender pursuant to this article. The governing authority of such county or municipality shall transfer to the council such funds as may be necessary to cover the compensation, benefits, travel, and other expenses for such personnel.
OCGA § 17-12-32