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Muncie City Court judge outlines 'bare bones' budget, cites interpreter and evaluation costs
Summary
Judge Donek told the finance committee the municipal court budget is minimal and flagged rising costs for psychological evaluations and interpreters; she said public defender reimbursement from the state is limited to circuit and superior courts and would require a statutory change to include city courts.
Judge Donek, Muncie City Court judge, told the Muncie City Council finance committee that her office submitted a "bare bones" 2026 proposed budget and highlighted two high-cost items: psychological evaluations and interpreter services.
The judge told the committee the court’s software maintenance, copier charges and interpreter costs remain significant line items and that the court’s proposed salaries follow guidance from the controller’s office. "I put in in the salary parts the amount that the controller's office told me to put in," Judge Donek said. She added staff salary increases reflected a 4% figure communicated by the controller.
The judge explained…
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