Judiciary tells Senate committee $766,142 gap in House-passed FY27 budget could force cuts to court services

A Judiciary representative told the Senate Judiciary committee on April 7 that the House-passed fiscal 2027 budget leaves three specific shortfalls totaling $766,142 and asked lawmakers to cover the gap to avoid cuts to court services.

The request, delivered during a committee hearing, singled out (1) an increased vacancy-savings target the Judiciary says is unrealistic for its small workforce, (2) an unfunded portion of state courthouse space costs, and (3) a sheriff-contract rate increase that was negotiated after the budget was set.

The Judiciary representative said the vacancy-savings estimate in the current budget increased by $285,169 and that the judiciary — with about 400 employees and many statutorily fixed judicial positions — cannot reliably generate that level of savings without creating service gaps. "We were just surprised to have the same figure included but also to express our concern about trying to achieve that without impacting court operations," the Judiciary representative said.

On courthouse space costs, the representative said a year-over-year increase of $427,576 raised the judiciary’s total facility cost base, but the budget did not fully cover the rise: $218,117 remained unfunded and would otherwise come from the Judiciary’s budget.

The third shortfall involved sheriff-contract rates. The representative said contracts budgeted at $54 per hour were negotiated to $57 per hour effective July 1; the fiscal 2027 budget included a $250,000 increase but still leaves a deficit the Judiciary estimated at $338,566. "The total of those three aspects is $766,142, which we're asking be covered so that we would be able to pay the bills," the Judiciary representative said.

Committee members asked where the vacancy-savings target originated. Greg Mosley, who the transcript identifies as chief of finance administration, said the number was established by finance and management and had not changed during the House process: "We had mentioned it to the House committee during our testimony but the number did not change. It was established by finance and management," Mosley said.

The Judiciary also asked that more than 26 limited-service positions given in the prior budget — described in the hearing as including 10 judicial assistance officers and five technology positions — be converted to permanent status sooner than the previously announced 2028 conversion date so employees would not face job uncertainty.

Separately, the Judiciary requested four new positions focused on training, one help-desk position, and a contract-funded project director for the state mental health commission, noting the project-director role depends on an as-yet-unawarded grant.

The Judiciary representative said that after covering fixed costs (salaries, benefits, facility fees and security contracts), the portion of the budget left for court services such as jury pay, mediators and training is roughly 7 percent, and that the shortfalls would reduce those services. The representative said the Judiciary would forward a prepared written testimony to the appropriations committee and committee members.

No formal motion or vote was recorded in the provided excerpt; committee members asked for the written testimony and the hearing concluded with the Judiciary thanking the committee.