The Birmingham City Commission voted to adopt a resolution approving the 48th District Court's proposed operating budget for 2026, $5,150,000, at the Dec. 1 meeting.

Finance staff and court administrators presented the budget. The court administrator, Patrick Dunn, told commissioners the court expects to exceed roughly 32,000 cases this year with notable increases in civil infractions and general civil filings, including a surge in no-fault provider cases tied to 2021 legislative changes. "These cases typically start off with multiple parties, multiple insurance companies, different attorneys, and they go through multiple phases," Dunn said, explaining the demand on judicial resources and the statutory limits on filing fees.

The proposed budget reflects an increase of about $220,000 from the prior year. Staff said the budget is funded proportionally by Birmingham and two neighboring townships on the basis of caseload; based on 2024 audited caseload figures, Birmingham's share was cited as 40.69%, or $2,095,535, an increase of approximately $158,000 from the prior year.

Commissioners asked about year-end true-up procedures, the likelihood that state-level changes to the trial-court funding model could shift local costs, and whether the court could reduce expenses. Dunn said the court performs an annual audit and true-up of caseload-based funding and that the state is examining alternative trial-court funding methods; he encouraged continued local engagement with associations and the state court administrator's office.

A motion to adopt the court budget passed on roll call with five yes votes and one no (Commissioner Host). No changes to the budget were made at the meeting.