Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Jennings County officials weigh creating referee position after state ends magistrate posts
Summary
County judges and staff asked the commissioners to approve creating a temporary county "referee" position to absorb magistrate work after House Bill 1144 eliminates the magistrate post on Dec. 31, 2025; commissioners requested more data on funding, salary and caseloads and took no formal vote.
Jennings County commissioners heard a proposal to create a county referee to perform work now handled by the magistrate role that the state plans to eliminate under House Bill 1144, which the presenters said takes effect Dec. 31, 2025.
County staff told the commissioners the referee would be a locally created position that would operate only if state grant funding or other external dollars are available; the county’s contribution would be "minimal," the presenter said. Judge Smith and other court staff described the magistrate’s work as valuable and urged planning to avoid disruption if the magistrate position is removed.
The request was procedural: staff asked commissioners to approve creating the position on the county’s…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
