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Davis County justice court warns budget committee of rising interpreter costs, asks to return if shortfall appears
Summary
Judge Inchowski told the Davis County Budget Committee the justice court’s caseload and interpreter needs have surged, with interpreter use rising from roughly 54 to about 80 cases per month; the committee left the tentative interpreter line at the current level but allowed the court to return if costs exceed projections.
Judge Inchowski, of the Davis County Justice Court, told the Davis County Budget Committee on the record that the court has processed 13,534 cases so far this year and currently has one jury trial scheduled. He said the court continues to use a judge-facilitated mediation program set up during the COVID period to reduce jury demands.
"So far, we've processed 13,534 cases, and we have 1 jury trial that's set," Judge Inchowski said, noting the court also completed 71 bench trials this year with eight pending. He said the court generates revenue from filings and fees submitted by local police, the county sheriff's office, highway patrol and prosecuting attorneys, and that staff actively pursue collection — typically not letting accounts remain delinquent beyond 90 days.
The primary budget pressure the judge raised was interpreter services. He said the court handled 645 interpreter cases in 02/2023 (about 54 per month) and has handled roughly 644 so far this year with a current run rate nearer 80 cases per month. "We've been trending up," he said.
Judge Inchowski named Spanish interpreter Ingrid de Pulsaguerre as a long-time, Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)-certified contractor for the court and warned that other languages — Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and Polynesian languages — are scarce locally and often cost more. He provided an example of an interpreter charging $340 per hour with a two-hour minimum.
"We're not using the Office of State Debt Collection because we don't think they're as effective as our own efforts," he said, explaining the court prefers in-house collection practices for fines and fees.
Committee staff and the judge reviewed the justice court's spreadsheet and historic spending for the professional and technical line item that covers interpreters and juror-related costs. Staff noted historic interpreter spending in the mid-to-high thousands of dollars annually but acknowledged a recent upward trend and that the line item also covers juror expenses, which makes exact forecasting difficult.
Budget staff advised departments to monitor spending monthly and return to the committee if the court approaches a shortfall. Judge Inchowski said he would do so if actual costs exceed the tentative allowance. After discussion the committee agreed to keep the tentative budget number at the presented level (referred to in the meeting as '24') with the understanding the court may request an adjustment if needed.
Budget staff also warned that funding every departmental request would reduce the county's beginning fund balance substantially; the presentation cited a potential drop of about $20,000,000 if all requests were funded. Judge Inchowski said the county and the court will likely need to tighten spending but reiterated the court’s priority of ensuring due process for non-English speakers. He mentioned a Spanish interpreter (Scott Joyce) moving into the area who may help relieve Spanish-language demand, while cautioning that other languages will remain more difficult to staff.
The judge closed by thanking the committee for their attention and for the opportunity to return if the court needs additional funds.
