Portage County’s Clerk of Courts reported June 23 that office expenses are on track and that she intends to request $7,500 in local funding for 2026 to continue a Judicare‑funded mediation program that has helped settle small claims, including eviction cases.

The clerk said the Judicare mediation program has been provided through state funding at no direct cost to the county for more than three years but that the state money is dwindling and the county will likely need to allocate $7,500 to keep the service available. The clerk told the committee the mediators help litigants, especially in eviction proceedings, where avoiding an eviction judgment on CCAP is important for a person’s future housing prospects.

The clerk also briefed the committee on statewide budget developments: she said the Joint Finance Committee allocated $20 million in general purpose revenue for circuit court cost support (referred to in the meeting as the circuit court cost appropriation) and that pending legislation could adjust fees, fines and forfeitures to increase county funding for court operations. She cautioned the statewide budget remained unresolved.

The clerk offered to provide additional detail or to bring program administrators or judges to a future meeting for more information; she noted Judge Sell and Judge Malevsky are familiar with the program. No committee vote was taken on the $7,500 request on June 23.