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Circuit judge warns probation user-fee fund unsustainable, asks council to shift $235,000 to general fund
Summary
Judge Ryan Hadfield said probation user fees have fallen short amid state-mandated salary increases and changes to a community-transition grant, and proposed shifting about $235,000 in supplements and health-insurance costs to the county general fund to avoid an eventual emergency.
Circuit Court Judge Ryan Hadfield told the council the probation-user-fee fund is not sustainable and requested the council consider shifting recurring costs into the general fund to prevent an operating emergency in several years.
Hadfield said the probation office has already made more than $90,000 in internal cuts and created efficiencies, but structural revenue losses remain. He cited several causes: a 2022 legislative change that moved community-transition funding to community corrections, an increase in indigent probationers who cannot pay user fees, state-mandated minimum probation-officer salaries and rising health-insurance costs.
"If we do nothing, I'll be before you in '27 or '28 saying I'm about out of business," Hadfield said. He proposed shifting supplements for probation officers, the staff attorney and the participant advocate to the general fund, and moving health-insurance premiums that the probation fund currently covers; Hadfield said those shifts total about $235,000.
Hadfield described steps already taken to cut costs and improve efficiency, including using a phone tree to reduce front-office staffing needs and replacing one secretary in the probation fund by moving that function to the circuit court's budget. He said he will continue efforts to reduce expenses but asked for county help to stabilize the program while those longer-term fixes proceed.
Council members discussed potential funding sources, including opioid-settlement or riverboat revenues, and suggested meeting with county finance staff to evaluate options. Council members said they appreciate early notice of the problem and asked Hadfield and the auditor to provide a detailed plan for any permanent budget shifts.
No formal appropriation vote was taken during the hearing; council members signaled willingness to consider mid-year options and to examine whether riverboat, grant or general-fund resources could cover the requested shift.
Hadfield said the requested shift would not solve every problem but would "buy time" for the probation office to become sustainable without emergency action in a few years.
