Judge Eileen Paley, chair of the Municipal Court Finance Committee, told the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee that the court's 2025 operating request included several targeted investments and expressed particular concern about cuts to training and travel.

Paley said the mayor recommended a $28,814,860 general fund allocation for the municipal court in 2025 and highlighted program-specific requests: "$490,000 to support the court's specialized dockets, including LINC, CATCH, MABS, HEART, and the recovery court," and a $125,000 request to sustain the court's work-release program. She also said the budget includes $814,000 for language services to cover four full-time interpreter positions and 19 contracted interpreters for Spanish and Somali needs.

Paley warned that elimination of training and travel funding would affect "over 200 employees in almost every department of the court," including judges, magistrates, attorneys, probation and court-security staff, and social-work-licensed employees, and that many of those trainings are required for continuing legal education and licensure maintenance. When asked for a dollar estimate, she replied the shortfall was "approximately a $180,000."

The judge pointed to grant awards that bolster court services, including roughly $1.2 million from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance and an opioid settlement award of $450,000 intended to support recovery housing for women with children. She said the court's self-help center served nearly 1,000 people during record sealing events in 2024.

Council members pressed court staff about whether the language-services allocation and technology modernization plans would meet demand; Paley said the court could use more interpreters and is modernizing case-management and e-filing systems in partnership with the Clerk of Courts. She requested that council consider reinstating training funds to preserve licensure compliance and workforce development.

The committee did not take a vote at the hearing; council members requested more detailed budget backup on training lines and interpretation staffing before further action.