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Judges ask commissioners to raise pay for court reporters and bailiffs, propose e-service and juror e-pay to avoid courtroom shutdowns
Summary
A judges' delegation told commissioners that vacant court reporter and bailiff posts threaten courtroom operations; the judges asked for pay adjustments to retain staff, an increase to the court reporter pay cap, and investments in e-service and juror e-pay systems.
A group of local judges addressing the budget workshop urged the commissioners to prioritize pay and staffing adjustments for the judicial system, saying court operations are at risk if pay and retention problems continue.
The judges' representative said court reporters are difficult to recruit and retain under the current pay schedule: the court reporter pay scheme presently awards 5% increases every five years, and the panel recommended a 2% annual increase and an increase of $5,000 to the top pay cap to prevent experienced reporters from leaving. The judges warned that losing additional reporters could lead to courtroom shutdowns and a renewed surge in jail population because cases would back up.
Judges also asked for a 10% increase for court managers and bailiffs. Presenters explained that several courts have been without bailiffs for months and that the sheriff's office has had to provide deputies temporarily, which is inefficient for both the courts and law enforcement. The judges invited the commissioners to consider longer-term structural options, including a dedicated pool of trained deputy bailiffs, contracted security, or a statutory change to shift responsibility for bailiffs. The judges asked that any structural change be coordinated with the board of judges and include an analysis of cost and statutory constraints.
Other court-related proposals included funding e-service through Tyler/Odyssey for electronic service of notices (presenter cited a roughly $60,000 price tag), implementing e-pay for jurors to avoid manual checks and reduce postage and processing costs, and modest increases for magistrate judge hours to meet jail coverage needs.
No vote was taken; judges asked the commissioners to include the proposed adjustments in budget discussions and to consider longer-term operational changes to stabilize court staffing.
