Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Court Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Local courts report vacancies, rising transcript costs and plans for e-filing and courthouse repairs
Summary
Administrators for the district, circuit, family and probate courts told the board they are short-staffed, face higher transcript page rates, and plan technology and facility upgrades including MiFILE e-filing and historic courthouse renovation planning.
Administrators from the District, Circuit, Family and Probate courts presented short briefings to the board, focusing on staffing challenges, budget pressures and operational projects.
Gwen Taylor, court administrator for the district court, said Grand Traverse County's share of the 2025 district budget is about $3.2 million, reported vacancies in office specialist and probation positions, and said MiFILE e-filing implementation is scheduled to begin January 2026 with a go-live in June 2026.
Circuit Court Administrator Trina Girardin said the circuit court asked for modest increases driven primarily by a transcript page-rate change and a 3% COLA in bargaining contracts; she requested planning and funding for historic courthouse renovations and indicated a recent recommendation to add a split judge position.
Family Court Administrator Kristen Bridal reported 16 FTEs with one vacancy, described juvenile-placement shortages that have led staff to 'spend nights' caring for youth in the Hall of Justice when placements are unavailable, and urged more in-county treatment options and diversion programming. Probate register (transcript label: Register Flowers) described recruitment challenges for guardians ad litem and said probate's general-fund amount for the current year is $1,138,078.
Why it matters: Court staffing and rising transcript costs affect case scheduling and access to justice; technology and facility investments (e-filing and historic courthouse renovations) are intended to improve efficiency and public access.
Next steps: Administrators will return budget requests and CIP requests as part of the county's 2026 budget process; commissioners asked for more details on staffing comparables and timeline for MiFILE implementation.
Quotes: "MiFILE implementation would begin in January 2026 with go live in June 2026," said the district court administrator. "We have had people come in and we just don't have time to do that," the family court administrator said about current staff demands.
