Municipal court brings a new in-house court referral program; operating budget remains level-funded

Municipal court staff told the committee the department’s operating budget is level-funded and that the office has brought the court referral program in‑house by hiring two staff members to administer it.

The municipal court representative said the operating budget is about $1.5 million and that most costs are salaries and benefits. The court explained that previously the referral program used an external contractor (Alternative Sentencing) and that the city has absorbed administration of the program into the court by hiring two staff members; one staff member started two weeks ago and the second was being hired at the time of the meeting. Staff said housing administration inside the department will remove barriers for participants because clients can now walk across the hall from the courtroom to access services.

Committee members asked about the breakdown of court costs sent to state funds and the district attorney; staff said a portion of court costs flows to state‑level funds and the district attorney’s office and offered to provide a detailed breakdown. The court representative said that over recent years the department’s revenues have improved and that the department has in practice been self‑sustaining on its general‑fund activity, despite the bulk of court costs being diverted by state accounting rules.