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Superior Court asks Polk County to keep ARPA-funded staff as judges seek reallocation for judicial assistants
Summary
At the May 11 Finance Committee meeting, Superior Court Clerk Stacie Baines urged the county to retain one or two ARPA-funded court positions after ARPA funding ends in September because of rising caseloads; Judges Mark Murphy and Andrew Roper separately asked the county to allocate its share of supplements to Judicial Assistants with pay retroactive to January 2026.
Superior Court Clerk Stacie Baines told the Polk County Board of Commissioners’ Finance Committee on May 11 that rising caseloads mean her office needs all current staff to manage daily operations and that she cannot afford to lose positions funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. She asked the county to allow at least one or two ARPA positions to continue after ARPA funding ends in September, and said one of those could be part-time if necessary.
Judges Mark Murphy and Andrew Roper addressed the Committee the same day and requested that the county reallocate its portion of judicial supplements to fund Judicial Assistants. The judges asked that any change be made retroactive to January 2026. No formal vote or action was recorded at the meeting; the requests were presented to the Finance Committee for consideration.
Baines summarized open and closed case counts from previous years and described everyday office operations, saying the increased workload requires retaining staff funded by ARPA. The judges’ request focused on redirecting the county share of supplement funding to Judicial Assistants; the transcript does not record a county response or a decision at the meeting.
The requests will be considered as part of budget planning: County Manager Matt Denton provided the FY2027 proposed budget at the meeting and said he and Chairman Chuck Thaxton will meet to set dates for budget work sessions. No timeline, funding reallocation plan, or formal motion to authorize either staffing continuations or retroactive pay was recorded in the meeting minutes.
