Clerk of Courts staff told the Dane County Public Protection & Judiciary Committee on Oct. 16 that updated state funding and an expected retirement create an opportunity to restore two Clerk 3 positions that had been removed from the executive’s 2026 budget.

Why it matters

Clerk Okazaki told the committee the office’s workload has risen sharply: “Our workload continues to increase. We saw a year over year case increase of more than 2,300 cases in 2024.” Okazaki said the office had previously exceeded the countywide 4% reduction target and has statutory and constitutional responsibilities (for example, interpreter costs and mandated operations) that limit where cuts can be made without impairing core functions.

The proposed amendment

Clerk Okazaki described a two-part amendment: (1) increase the circuit-court block grant by a conservative adjustment (the office’s updated distribution was described as about $840,000, and the office proposed a modest upward revision in their budget estimate), and (2) reduce staff expense budget lines to reflect a forthcoming retirement and a lower-salary replacement. Okazaki said the combined effect of those changes would add roughly $152,709 in available GPR to the clerk’s budget and that the office previously reduced reliance on GPR by $563,409 in the current cycle.

Process and next steps

Committee members said DOA and the county executive’s office were working to cover any remaining gaps; Okazaki said he expected most of the amendment’s funding to be resolved and noted his office would transmit a formal amendment for Tuesday’s meeting. He asked the committee to restore the clerical positions to preserve timely case processing and required court functions.

Clarifying details

- Clerk’s estimate: updated state block-grant distribution referenced at $840,000; clerk’s office proposed increasing its projection from $750,000 to $800,000 as a conservative estimate while final allocations are confirmed.

- Reported 2024 caseload increase: about 2,300 additional cases year-over-year.

Ending

Clerk Okazaki asked the committee to restore the Clerk 3 positions and said the office would transmit the final amendment language and fiscal details at the next meeting; DOA and the executive’s offices indicated they were working to identify funding to close remaining gaps.