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Council hears municipal court budget; city transfer of $775,000 requested amid state law changes
Summary
Court officials told Delaware City Council the municipal court will need a $775,000 transfer from the city in 2026 as court-generated revenues fall and a new state law (House Bill 29) curtails techniques the court used to compel payment. Staff outlined limits on special funds and possible reimbursement from other municipalities as only modest.
The Delaware Municipal Court told the city council on Nov. 24 that the city will likely need to transfer $775,000 in 2026 to cover operating costs as court-collected revenues decline.
"The transfer from the city this year [is] $775,000," Justin Cadello said during the court's budget presentation, noting that operating costs for the court's general fund run roughly $2.8 million and that personnel costs account for nearly 90 percent of that total. Judge Kyle Rohrer, who joined Cadello for the presentation, warned that changes in state law will further pressure collections.
"House Bill 29 removed our ability to suspend a driver's license or put a registration block on people who failed to pay their fines in court costs," Rohrer said. "So we think that, obviously, that will have a long term impact and decrease the people that are paying their fines in court costs." He added that the court has already used other collection tools and that the offices introduced text reminders and shortened the time before a case goes to collections to boost payments.
The presentation outlined how court revenue flows to several special accounts (probation fees, computer fund, indigent alcohol monitoring) and noted statutory limits on how those accounts can be used. Rohrer said some of those accounts have been drawn down to support operations — "we have increased from $500,000 in 2024, $600,000 in 2025 to almost $1,000,000" in special-account transfers — but cautioned that relying on those balances is not sustainable.
Council members asked whether neighboring municipalities and townships could reimburse Delaware for the court's countywide jurisdiction. Rohrer said reimbursements are permitted under state apportionment rules but the formula limits the maximum amount the city could recover.
Rohrer and Cadello also described costs such as interpreter services and competency evaluations, which can range from $1,200 to $1,800 per person and are typically borne out of special funds when the individual cannot reimburse the court. The court also reported investing in a probation case management system funded by a one-off grant, and it has used $30,000 from a special projects fund for facility maintenance to reduce future city burdens.
Next steps: staff said they will follow up with council on possible revenue-collection options and statutory references; no formal action on the budget appropriation was taken at the meeting.
