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Judges warn of rising case volumes, aging servers and reporter shortages in budget presentation
Summary
Judges and court staff told commissioners their 2026 request reflects modest increases for raises but growing operational pressure from rising civil and foreclosure caseloads, new Supreme Court mandates, aging servers and a statewide court-reporter shortage that could push investment toward electronic transcription and video systems.
Judges from the common pleas general division and court administrators told the Berks County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 6 that their budget request for 2026 shows only a modest overall increase once planned raises are included, but that operational pressures are mounting.
The court—s presentation said its overall budget increase will be about 1.7% after raises, in part because a new hire, Shannon Wendling (started the day of the meeting), replaces a departing employee and begins at a lower rate; the court expects lower vacation-payout costs this year. The judges said they moved $65,000 from special projects into the general fund and cautioned that special-project balances are diminishing and could be quickly consumed by a single major capital need.
Judges and staff described growing civil and foreclosure dockets and an uptick in credit-card and replevin (repossession) cases compared with the COVID-era downturn. They said outside mandates have increased the number of events per case: ‘‘we—ve had to have an extra magistrate because now we—re required to have bond hearings within 24 hours of incarceration’’ and similar timelines for CPO and stalking hearings, creating new staffing and scheduling pressure.
Court leaders said the county-provided servers previously taken into their use are now at end of life and vendor support and replacement quotes were higher than expected. One support quote cited in the meeting was roughly $28,000 for a one-year support contract and a much larger three-year figure; presenters said they were pursuing competitive bids and analytics to define actual needs. They also noted an April 2026 ADA requirement for county websites, plus demands for e-filing, electronic images, and statistical reporting that will increase IT requirements.
The judges raised a separate operational concern: a statewide shortage of court reporters that has increased costs and reduced availability. Presenters said the county currently pays court reporters about $55,000–$60,000 per year and that, where reporters are unavailable, the court may need to rely more on video or real-time electronic transcription to ensure a usable record.
On staffing and security, the court recounted changes in bailiff and jury-commissioner assignments across courtrooms and said scheduling is complex because dockets vary day-to-day. The presentation also described shifting drug-court and reentry staff between county payroll and grant funding to manage headcount and pay lines.
The judges concluded by asking commissioners to consider the combined effect of shrinking special-project funds, new external mandates and aging infrastructure when reviewing the county—s budget outlook.
