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District judges ask McLennan County to fund court reporter, part-time attorney as felony filings rise
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Summary
Judges told the commissioners court felony filings and appeals have increased, prompting requests for an additional court reporter ($111,298 annual estimate) and a part-time attorney ($90/hour, est. $46,800) to handle appellate work and legal research; the court voted to support both staffing requests.
Judicial officers appearing before the commissioners court on April 21 described a sustained increase in felony cases and appeals and asked the county to authorize additional staffing to avoid backlog and support appellate work.
Judge Bennett (Speaker 7), speaking after a staff introduction, said his 470th District Court has already handled a rising number of felony jury trials and appeals this year and asked the court to approve a second court reporter position. County staff estimated the full-year cost at about $111,298 and a prorated current-year budget impact of roughly $46,374 if the position is filled promptly.
Bennett proposed assigning 10% of incoming felony cases to the 470th starting in July, which he said could total roughly 250–260 cases and help address the county's jail population and case-disposition backlog. He also proposed creating a second-tier court-reporter salary band (estimated entry range $65,000–$85,000) to recruit beginning reporters and requested roughly $20,000 to fund the position for July–September if a lower-tier salary is approved.
Separately, the 50th District Court (introduced by staff) requested authorization for a part-time hourly attorney to perform legal research, prepare findings of fact and conclusions of law, and build a searchable database of court conclusions. The county estimate for that part-time role was $90 per hour for up to 10 hours per week with an estimated annual cost of $46,800; Judge Kelly (Speaker 14) described a backlog of habeas and appellate matters and supported a task-oriented, part-time approach.
Commissioners discussed workload metrics, technology constraints, and the potential to use district-court redistribution and software improvements to manage the increase. After discussion, the court approved the staffing requests and directed periodic follow-up to monitor outcomes.
Actions recorded: motions to support the court reporter request and to approve the part-time attorney were made, seconded and approved by voice vote.
