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Justice Building water damage disrupts court operations; judges, staff describe cleanup and backlog
Summary
Court leaders told council that severe sewer/water damage at the Justice Building forced partial closure, created health hazards and added months of catch‑up work on docketing; the council approved several court hiring exemptions to help manage workload.
Judge Diekoff and court administration described recent, extensive water and sewage damage at the Justice Building and the operational ripple effects for court staff and cases. The judge said repair crews are removing carpeting and baseboards and that staff have been moving records and equipment; “there was water just by the gallon full just spreading everywhere, and it was toilet water,” the judge said, describing the cleanup and health concerns.
Court administrators said the courts are not fully operational though the judiciary has been processing probable cause determinations and other limited functions; they emphasized the workload of absorbing cases after the county loses a judicial seat — one court's pending caseload was cited at about 2,393 cases. Council approved multiple court hiring exemptions (case management coordinator, bailiff, floating court reporter) to preserve operations and meet state reporting requirements; some salary ordinance changes will return for second reading on Aug. 11.
