Presiding Judge Day proposed moving Aurora Municipal Court from a five‑day, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. schedule to a four‑day, 10‑hour schedule — Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m.–6 p.m. — and rescheduling weekend bond hearings from Sunday mornings to Saturday afternoons to meet a cited 48‑hour requirement. The proposal was heard at the Aurora City Council study session on Sept. 8, 2025, and the council agreed to continue the item to the next study session to allow staff to present additional scenarios and analysis.

The change, Judge Day said, responds to employee requests for fewer, consecutive days off and aims to reduce in‑court overtime, improve recruitment and retention and lessen “secondary trauma” for court staff who regularly handle difficult cases. "By going to 4 workdays, it'll have a positive effect on recruitment and retention," Judge Day said. He also noted the court tested a Saturday bond‑hearing schedule over the July Fourth weekend and reported it “worked very well and very smooth.”

Why it matters: Council members said the change could affect overtime costs, prosecutor and public defender scheduling, access for residents who must appear, clerk availability for fine payments and service levels across other city departments. City Attorney Pete Schulte told the council the city’s criminal prosecutors are salaried and that his office intends to keep prosecutors on a Monday–Friday schedule unless the council directs otherwise. "My staff over at the prosecutors on the criminal division are salaried. They're not paid hourly," Schulte said, adding his office would not automatically move to the proposed four‑day schedule.

Judge Day presented overtime figures to support the financial case for changing hours: 535.5 in‑court overtime hours in 2023; 440.5 hours in 2024; and 262.75 hours as of Aug. 1, 2025. He said shifting docket start times earlier and adding an hour at the end of the day should reduce overtime and facility costs and give officers and staff more predictable schedules. He also said the four‑day schedule would allow many employees three consecutive days off (Friday–Sunday), which he and staff view as beneficial for secondary‑trauma recovery and for employees with second jobs.

Several council members asked for more analysis before approving the change. Council Member Bergen said she had expected additional scenario planning after prior conversations with the judge and warned the proposal as presented did not demonstrate clear overtime savings. "I would rather postpone this decision and just maybe come back with a couple different scenarios to really evaluate the effectiveness of doing this because it's a big move," Bergen said.

Council Member Murillo and Council Member George expressed support, saying four‑day schedules are common in other public‑safety and trauma‑exposed professions and could help recruitment and reduce staff call‑outs. Murillo asked for measures the city would use to evaluate effects if the council moves forward, and Council Member Morgan asked that virtual court options and potential impacts on witness attendance and failures to appear be considered.

On the operational details, Judge Day said jurors would be docketed at 7 a.m. and that jurors would be brought in at 7:30 a.m. under the proposed schedule. He acknowledged clerks' schedules and how jurisdictions on four‑day schedules keep clerks available on days judges are not in court, noting clerk flex scheduling in other jurisdictions.

Outcome: Mayor Kauffman asked if there was any objection to continuing item 4a to the next study session. With no objection, the council agreed by unanimous consent to continue the Aurora Municipal Court hours proposal to the next study session and to dual‑list agenda item 5a at that meeting for additional discussion. The council directed Judge Day and staff to return with additional scenarios and analysis, including implementation considerations raised by council members and staff.

Next steps: The council’s continuation means Judge Day and court leadership will provide further analysis and alternative scenarios (phased approaches, rolling schedules, virtual options and measurement proposals) at the next study session before the council takes formal action.