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Clerk of Circuit Court reports $500,000 projected underspend and warns of increased workload from fee changes
Summary
Rebecca Matoska-Mentink told the committee the Clerk's Office is projected to be roughly $500,000 under budget for 2025 and said a pending state bill expected July 1 will increase court fees and small-claims limits, likely raising filings and workload; backlog and attorney shortages were highlighted.
Rebecca Matoska-Mentink, Kenosha County Clerk of Circuit Court, told the Judiciary & Law Enforcement Committee on March 4 that her office is projected to be about $500,000 under budget for 2025, attributing the savings to increased court-support grants, improved collections and streamlined processes.
Matoska-Mentink said a pending state bill expected to take effect July 1 would raise court fees and expand small-claims limits, a change she said is likely to increase filings and workload; the office is preparing for that outcome. She said the office may expand to an additional circuit court branch by 2028 pending approval.
The presentation summarized filing trends since the COVID-19 pandemic: criminal filings have stabilized, civil filings have increased, family case filings have declined, and probate filings have remained relatively stable. Matoska-Mentink and Judge Rosell said backlog and delays are driven largely by attorney shortages and delays in appointing counsel; Matoska-Mentink cited 967 pending cases compared with 487 in 2018 as a measure of the current backlog.
Operationally, Matoska-Mentink said the office has been fully staffed since September, is evaluating internal restructuring, and may need additional staff in the future. The committee members expressed appreciation for the transparency and use of visual data in the presentation. No formal board action on staffing or branch expansion was taken at the meeting.
