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Kenosha County court officials cite backlog, attorney shortage and small-claims changes that could increase filings
Summary
Clerk of circuit court Rebecca Metaska Mentek and an unnamed county judge reported a shrinking but still-large docket backlog (the judge said he had 967 pending cases), flagged a statewide attorney shortage, and warned a pending law raising small-claims limits to $15,000 could increase filings and caseload pressure.
Rebecca Metaska Mentek, clerk of circuit court, briefed the committee on court finances, staffing and case trends, saying the office is currently under budget and preparing for legislative changes that could affect filings.
"We have come under budget by about $500,000," Metaska Mentek told the committee, attributing the positive variance to insurance adjustments, a roughly $100,000 court-support grant and streamlined collection processes.
Metaska Mentek described a bill that would raise the small-claims threshold from $10,000 to $15,000 and increase the consumer-credit civil-jurisdiction threshold to $50,000; she said the bill had passed…
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