Probate judge request: part‑time associate judge made full‑time; marriage‑license fee increase approved to fund upgrade

Lexington County Council approved an upgrade of a part‑time associate probate judge to full‑time and agreed to raise the county portion of the marriage-license fee as a local revenue source to offset the recurring personnel cost.

Associate Probate Judge Julie Thompson (identified in the meeting as the longstanding associate/probate staff presence) told council the court’s workload has increased with the county’s population growth and that the court was carrying a mental‑health phone that compromised training hours for the part‑time associate judge. She asked the council to upgrade the position to full‑time at an estimated additional cost of $44,629, and also asked for at least one paralegal support position (costs to be determined, estimated by council discussion at roughly $45,000–$55,000 including benefits).

To fund the upgrade without drawing on general‑fund millage increases, Thompson proposed raising the county’s marriage‑license fee and modest increases to copy fees. Council ultimately approved a motion that: (1) upgraded the associate judge from part‑time to full‑time; (2) authorized funding and a paralegal classification consistent with similar county paralegal grades; and (3) increased the county marriage‑license fee for in‑county applicants to $40 and set a higher fee for out‑of‑county or out‑of‑state “problem” cases at $75. The vote was recorded in the affirmative.

Why it matters: Probate courts handle estates, guardianships and marriage licensing; Thompson said marriage‑license fees have been $10 in Lexington County for many years while the statewide average she compiled is about $30. She provided council with revenue estimates showing that increasing the local fee would cover the requested position’s recurring cost.

Next steps: Administration and the Probate Office will implement the fee changes and the court will work with HR to change the associate judge’s status and recruit or reclassify a paralegal position as budget coding allows.