Council presses Circuit Court over $4.1M surplus amid slow juvenile case processing and security needs
Council President Cohen and Councilwoman Ramos pressed Circuit Court administrator Lionel Moore about a reported $4.1 million FY25 surplus (about $1.7 million from the general fund) while juvenile and shelter-case processing rates lag statewide; Moore said surplus funds stem largely from outside security grants and described planned one-time uses including juvenile-facility repairs and a requested $1.2 million security upgrade for 2027.
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Council President Cohen pressed the Circuit Court about its FY25 $4.1 million surplus and declining case-processing performance during a Baltimore City Council budget committee hearing. Cohen said the court ran a $4.1 million surplus in FY25, including a roughly $1.7 million surplus in funds that came from the general fund, and cited Maryland Judiciary metrics showing only 51% of juvenile delinquency cases were terminated on time, with an average processing time of 134 days, and a 47% on-time rate for child-in-need shelter cases with an average of 196 days. "Only 51% of juvenile delinquency cases were terminated on time," Cohen said, adding the local average processing time is "the highest in the state."
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