Washington County subcommittee weighs $300,000 courthouse security cut; explores transport, warrant and staffing options

A Washington County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC) subcommittee on courthouse security on Sept. 10 discussed how a proposed $300,000 reduction in court security funding would affect courthouse operations, and identified steps county officials could take to try to find equivalent savings elsewhere in the justice system.

The subcommittee heard from Sheriff Schulteis, who told members that “a $300,000 cut is about a third of the operational budget for [courthouse] security,” and that most of the expense is personnel. County executive staff stated the executive’s objective is a flat levy and that $300,000 in savings must be found countywide but “does not have to come from court security.”

The discussion matters because the sheriff’s office said current staffing is already below the benchmarks used in other counties, and cuts would reduce the level of service for courtroom safety and for movement of incarcerated people to and from court. Participants identified several operational levers that could produce savings or shift costs, but emphasized that none were formal budget decisions and many would require cooperation from multiple agencies and vendors.

Sheriff Schulteis described current operations and staffing: five deputies assigned to cover four circuit branches plus a court commissioner, and two deputies at screening. He said most court security costs are wages and benefits and that cutting $300,000 could equate to removing roughly one to two…