Judge Lee urges reclassification of bailiff role; commissioners approve new job description and pay range

Judge Lee presented a revised job description for the bailiff position, asking the board to approve both the new title “bailiff / judicial assistant” and a reclassification of the position to the same pay range as the county paralegal. He told commissioners that the bailiff’s duties have evolved since the last written description in 1999, now including handling electronic exhibits, preparing jury instructions and assisting judges with judicial orders.

"The position of the bailiff now takes over a number of hats," Judge Lee said, noting the court had 21 jury trials in 2022 and 22 in 2023 and emphasizing the role’s importance in preventing procedural errors that could force retrials. He told the board that bailiffs must be familiar with electronic evidence and the secure presentation of admissible items to jurors.

After questions from commissioners about job parallels with the paralegal role and the proposed range, Commissioner (speaker 1) moved to approve the new job description as recommended by the classification committee. The motion passed on a voice vote recorded in the transcript as seven yes votes.

Commissioners then approved moving the position’s pay range from 10 to 15 to reflect the increased responsibilities; that motion also passed with seven yes votes. The board did not specify an implementation date during the meeting. Commissioners thanked Judge Lee for the presentation and indicated payroll/HR follow-up would proceed through normal personnel processes.

The action covers two distinct decisions: approval of the job description and a separate pay-range reclassification. Both were moved, seconded and recorded as carried by the full board during the meeting.