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Superior Court asks supervisors to fund two court commissioners amid rising filings
Summary
Presiding Judge Steve Moss told the board that superior-court filings and workload require additional judicial capacity; he asked for two court commissioners in addition to a Division 8 judge the board already approved, and said the county will need five judges overall as filings grow.
Presiding Judge Steve Moss told the Board the Superior Court’s caseload has risen sharply and the court needs additional judicial capacity to meet statutory time standards.
Moss said an analysis by the National Center for State Courts supports a five-judge need; he asked that the Board fund two additional court commissioners on top of Division 8 (a judge position the Board previously approved earlier this year). Moss said he can house two judges immediately in existing courtrooms (including space in Lake Havasu and a hearing room currently located at the jail) and expects a third to be available after a remodel in April 2026.
Costs and tradeoffs
Moss and staff estimated the recurring cost for a court commissioner (including judicial assistant and clerk support) at about $428,000 per commissioner per year. Finance staff noted adding two commissioners would require additional recurring revenue — staff estimated that to fund two commissioners under the recommended Option B would require an increase of roughly 3.15¢ in the county primary property tax levy rate (presented as an illustrative calculation by finance staff during discussion).
Board reaction and next steps
Supervisors acknowledged the workload issue and asked staff for scenarios showing the budgetary effect of hiring one commissioner versus two and of possible revenue changes. The judge emphasized the need is ongoing and that judicial recruitment is feasible but requires funding.
Ending
No final funding decision was made during the workshop. Staff will include commissioner scenarios in the tentative budget for board consideration in June.
