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Circuit Court budget forwarded amid questions on bond forfeitures and interpreter costs
Summary
The committee forwarded the Circuit Court’s 2026 budget, citing a reduction in levy supported by a state court support grant but flagging uncertainty in bond‑forfeiture revenue and rises in interpreter expenses that staff said the state is monitoring.
The Circuit Court presented its proposed 2026 budget to the Kenosha County Judiciary & Law Enforcement Committee and the committee voted to forward the proposal to Finance after questioning about revenue assumptions and growing interpreter costs.
Court staff said a state court support grant raised the revenue available to the court and reduced the county levy requirement, while personnel costs rose about $64,000 primarily due to health insurance. Committee members pressed staff on a planned increase in the bond‑defaults revenue line (from a prior $410,000 figure to $500,000 in the current projection) and whether that level of collection is realistic. Court staff explained that bond-default receipts can be volatile year to year (noting occasional large forfeitures) and that some debt becomes uncollectible; they provided historical bond-default totals during the discussion and agreed to supply additional trend detail.
Supervisors also highlighted rapid increases in interpreter costs, with staff saying some interpreters now set high hourly rates and cancellation fees; staff said the director of state courts has raised concerns about market-driven interpreter charges and is working on reimbursement protocols.
A motion to forward the Circuit Court budget passed unanimously.
What’s next
Circuit Court staff were asked to return to the committee or provide materials showing bond-default trends and interpreter‑cost projections to support Finance committee review.
Source: Circuit Court presentation and Q&A recorded in committee meeting transcript.
