Municipal judges, probation officers tell Lee's Summit council: 'Our court is drowning'

Judges, probation staff and an outside consultant urged the Lee's Summit City Council on July 13 to move quickly to expand municipal court capacity and shore up internal controls after an operational review documented persistent staffing shortfalls and compliance risks.

The audit presented by Raftelis found Lee's Summit's municipal court still operates on two court days per week despite population growth from roughly 33,000 in 1981 to more than 108,000 today. "The audit shows the court needs to be restructured," municipal judge Vanessa Maxwell Lopez said, adding the report confirmed her courtroom's staffing and workload estimates.

Why it matters: Judges, probation officers and defense counsel described crowded courtrooms, multi-hour waits and probation caseloads that far exceed recommended ratios. Probation officers said they supervise roughly 600–800 clients each, while Raftelis' benchmarking suggested many peer jurisdictions operate with a much lower caseload per officer. The consultants estimated Lee's Summit would need the equivalent of roughly 5.4 court days per week to match peer workloads; their initial recommendation was an immediate increase to four court days per week as a conservative, implementable step.

The audit identified two urgent risk areas: compliance with state court rules (Rule 37 and related Office of State Courts Administration findings) and weaknesses in financial-management controls. Recommendations included better written procedures, daily secured cash deposits, giving city finance access to court bank accounts, upgraded use of the Show-Me Court system, cross-training, and targeted staff additions: converting a part-time clerk to full time, adding a clerk dedicated to probation, promoting a probation compliance supervisor and hiring temporary outside expertise to clear backlogs.

"Our court is drowning," Judge Lopez said. "We can't wait another two years because we are under water now," she added, describing frequent three-hour waits and defendants standing in lobbies.

Council members pressed Raftelis and city staff on sequencing and cost. The city manager, Mark Dunning, said the FY27 budget includes two FTEs allocated to court operations and noted staff have already begun work on financial controls and policy updates. Raftelis recommended a multi‑year implementation plan, but the consultants and judges urged quicker action on immediate staffing and bookkeeping fixes.

Council response and next steps: Council members asked staff to produce an implementation tracking document that lists each recommendation, who has authority to act, a timeline and resource needs. Multiple councilmembers urged immediate hiring of the two budgeted positions, monthly updates from the city manager and referral of detailed funding questions to the finance and budget committee. The council directed staff to prepare an implementation action plan that can be updated monthly, and to provide judges with a copy of any pertinent closed-record materials needed for operational changes.

What remains unresolved: Raftelis' more aggressive benchmark — 5.4 court days per week — remains a data-driven estimate and would require additional analysis and funding. The consultants flagged that better data capture (through improved use of case-management software) and clearer rules for probation referrals could alter the long-term staffing need. Council members also emphasized the importance of formalizing a liaison role between city staff and the municipal court so that judges, the court administrator and the city manager coordinate implementation.

The council did not take a final vote on court compensation or judge pay at this meeting; those items were referred to the appropriate committees. Council members said they expect a status update and a draft tracking document from staff within weeks, with possible budget committee action to fund additional positions if necessary.