JP urges more part‑time staff and salary review as civil filings surge

The county’s budget workshop focused Tuesday on staffing and pay for elected offices, with a JP from Precinct One urging commissioners to fund an additional part‑time position and reconsider salary grades after a sharp rise in civil court filings.

"Civil is our most time‑consuming, labor‑intensive part and that is increasing," the JP said, noting a 36% year‑over‑year increase in civil filings for Precinct One and reporting 80 civil cases filed so far this year from January through July. She said the caseload requires more administrative time—docketing, printing, filing and responding to parties—and that part‑time help previously budgeted only for vacation coverage is no longer sufficient.

The JP asked the court to consider both a dedicated part‑time position and targeted salary increases for clerks. Commissioners discussed moving from broad, uniform clerk paygrades to position‑specific pay (for example, JP clerk rather than a general clerk grade) and prioritizing cost‑of‑living adjustments over across‑the‑board raises tied to tenure.

Officials also raised administrative line‑item issues: jury summons costs that have been charged to the sheriff’s fund should be moved to the appropriate court fund, and some offices saw large year‑to‑year swings in office‑supply and equipment lines. One speaker said office supplies rose from about $7,000 to $15,000 in a recent budget submission; another said she needs replacement chairs and had moved those requests into an equipment/furniture line.

The court did not take formal action at the workshop. Commissioners asked staff to return with more precise cost estimates after Dan provides certified tax‑roll figures, and to identify one‑time purchases from the prior year that will not recur next year so the court can re‑allocate savings toward recurring personnel needs.