Board denies judges' request to fund county-level magistrate position

Jennings County commissioners voted unanimously to deny judges' request that the county fund a magistrate (also referred to in materials as a referee) position at the county level.

During discussion a commissioner said the state-level decision-makers had concluded the number of cases did not justify the position, making it difficult to justify new county funding to taxpayers. Another commissioner asked for additional documentation and said staff had not supplied the information requested in advance. The chair moved to deny the funding request and the board approved the denial without dissent.

County staff noted that capital-line items submitted under a "magistrate" label could be reallocated to the circuit court if the magistrate position is not funded; the board discussed that paperwork would be changed accordingly. The denial is a policy decision to decline local funding for the position; judges and staff may pursue alternative options or re-submit with additional supporting information in the future.