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Probate court moves to part-time register; judges and deputy cite indigent counsel and publication costs
Summary
Deputy registrar Hannah Dickinson presented the probate court budget and Judge Terrence Pariss written letter noting a shift to a part-time register of probate (vacant since Dec. 2024) to save funds; the office seeks higher professional-services funding for indigent counsel and noted passport revenue declines.
Deputy Registrar of Probate Hannah Dickinson presented the probate courts FY2026 budget and read a letter from Judge Terrence Paris authorizing her to present the request. The probate office is proposing a part-time elected register of probate to replace a previously full-time elected position; the county will forward qualified candidates to the governor for appointment to the short-term vacancy.
Dickinson said the office has raised its budget line for professional services to $16,000 from a lower amount to cover indigent-defense and guardian-ad-litem appointments required by state law. She explained the office must offer counsel when a parent or respondent in a probate matter qualifies under the state's financial affidavit standards. The change follows a statewide adjustment in indigent-counsel rates; the probate office and judges raised hourly rates to match regional standards (from $120 to $150/hour for public defenders, as described in the presentation).
Dickinson also said the office has lost passport-processing revenue lines (the probate office no longer processes passports) and that the revenue line previously budgeted at $9,000 will decline as services moved to post offices and other agencies.
Ending: Dickinson said the office is operating without a backlog and expects to be fully staffed by May 2025 once the governor appoints a register; the probate court asked the committee to approve the modest increase in its professional-services line to avoid shortfalls for indigent representation.
