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Circuit Judge asks Montgomery County to reimburse AOC up to $62,604 for referee’s salary
Summary
Circuit Judge Calvin Williams asked the Montgomery County Commission to place a proposed MOU on an information-session agenda so the county would reimburse the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts up to $62,604 for the full-time salary (no benefits) of Court Referee I Maria Patterson for Oct. 1, 2025–Sept. 30, 2026. The draft spells out quarterly invoicing, Title IV-D exclusions, termination notice and dispute-resolution steps; no commission action is recorded in this document.
Circuit Judge Calvin Williams submitted a memorandum requesting that the Montgomery County Commission place a proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts on the Nov. 4 information-session agenda so he could be heard about the agreement. The memorandum and attached draft MOU propose that the county reimburse the AOC for the full-time salary (excluding benefits) of Court Referee I Maria Patterson at a maximum not to exceed $62,604 for the period Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026.
The draft agreement says the Commission will reimburse the AOC up to $62,604 and that the AOC will invoice the county at the end of each quarter for salary payments. The invoice contact named in the draft is Jennifer Moorer, AOC accountant, and payment instructions list the Administrative Office of Courts at 300 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104-3741. The MOU specifies that the AOC will not bill the county for any portion of referee work already reimbursed by the Alabama Department of Human Resources under federal Title IV-D funding.
The document requires the AOC to notify the Commission if the AOC receives funding from the Alabama Legislature or another source for the referee position; the parties would then consider reducing or terminating the county’s participation. Either party may cancel the agreement with 30 days’ written notice. The draft also warns that failure to make payments, legislative nonappropriation, or proration of funds may result in layoff or termination of the affected position(s), and it states explicitly that the MOU does not alter the employment relationship between the AOC and the employee or confer merit-system status.
The MOU includes dispute-resolution language directing senior officials to meet in good faith and, for monetary disputes, to file claims with the State of Alabama Board of Adjustment; other unresolved issues are to be handled through nonbinding alternative dispute resolution in Montgomery. The draft contains standard federal-compliance provisions, including references to Executive Orders 12549 and 12689 and to 2 CFR part 180 and § 180.135, and statements about employment verification under federal immigration law.
The agreement block includes a signature line for Nathan Wilson, Administrative Director of Courts, and a blank signature block for the Montgomery County Commission; dates and the commission signatory are not filled in on the draft provided.
The memorandum requests placement on an earlier information session (Nov. 4) although the cover page identifies this file as part of a Nov. 18, 2025, formal-session packet; the document on its face does not record any commission vote or formal approval. The MOU, as presented in the materials, is a proposed contract that would require subsequent action by the commission to take effect.
