Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Court Capacity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Superior Court asks for two court commissioners after Division 8 approval; judge warns workload requires five judges
Summary
Presiding Judge Steve Moss asked the Board to add two court commissioners to the FY26 budget (each about $428,000 annually) in addition to Division 8 already approved by the board. He said Mohave County’s filings and trial workload justify five judges overall and that timely case processing depends on expanding judicial capacity.
Presiding Judge Steve Moss asked the Board of Supervisors on April 16 to fund two additional court commissioners in FY26 to help address sharply rising caseloads and trial workload in Mohave County’s Superior Court. The judge told the board he needs five judges under National Center for State Courts workload standards, though space constraints and logistics make the step‑up a phased effort.
Judge Moss said the court’s caseload — including a year-over-year jump in civil filings and a high per-capita jury-trial rate — has strained existing resources. He credited the board’s earlier approval of Division 8 and said that, with modest facility adjustments already scheduled, the court could house two additional commissioners sooner than a full complement of new judges.
Cost and timing Moss and staff provided a recurring‑cost estimate of roughly $428,000 per judicial position (commissioner plus judicial assistant and supporting clerk). Two commissioners would therefore add about $856,000 to recurring general-fund personnel costs; Judge Moss said he could phase hires to align with available courtroom and office space (one hire sooner and another after planned facility work completes).
Staff and board response Luke Mornien said adding recurring personnel at that scale requires recurring revenue; he estimated that funding that recurring cost would require roughly a 1.6‑ to 3.2‑cent increase in the primary levy rate depending on whether the board authorized one or two commissioners in addition to staff recommendations. Several supervisors said they understood the need but that the board must weigh the recurring budget impact against other priorities.
Ending note: Judge Moss asked that the board add two commissioners to the recommended budget or otherwise identify recurring revenue to fund judicial capacity; the board asked staff to model one‑ and two‑commissioner scenarios before the June tentative budget adoption.
