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County and district courts report staffing gains but rising appointed‑attorney costs and courtroom furniture needs
Summary
County courts said they have reduced clerical vacancies and plan a supplemental request to address rising court‑appointed attorney fees; district court described new courtrooms and a jury assembly space underway and said it will assume administrative tasks for the Board of Mental Health on July 1.
Pam Cardenas, county courts administrator, and Sheryl, district court administrator, briefed the Criminal Justice Committee on staffing, budget pressures and facility projects.
Pam Cardenas said county courts are authorized for 83 clerical positions and are currently down about seven. She said the county had recently been down 16–17 positions and that current hiring has improved the staffing picture. Cardenas said court‑appointed attorney fees have "really skyrocketed," noting regional comparators and that the county has increased rates in 2022; she said a supplemental budget request for attorney fees was submitted and that any future increases would likely be gradual.
Sheryl described district court plans: the district court has 18 judges (back to full judicial strength after a March appointment) and about 41.5 Douglas County employees assigned to the court. She said two new courtrooms are being built by the Douglas County Building Commission (one with seating for about 84 in the gallery, another about 65) and a jury assembly area that will seat just under 350 people is planned on the courthouse level the county formerly used for jury assembly. Completion dates mentioned included mid‑July for the jury assembly space and early 2026 for the courtrooms; Sheryl said she will need furniture funding in the next budget cycle.
Board of Mental Health transition: Sheryl said the district court will take on parts of the Board of Mental Health administration effective July 1, including payment of board member fees, and that the court is working on standard operating procedures with the clerk's office and partner agencies.
Committee response and next steps: Commissioners asked clarifying questions about authorized versus on‑hand FTE counts and about the timing of the supplemental request; Cardenas said hourly compensation for court‑appointed attorneys in Douglas County remains below some regional rates but has increased since 2022. No formal budget decisions were made at the committee meeting.
