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Presiding judge reports doubled filings, asks council for $8,000 pay increase
Summary
The presiding judge told the Mayor and Council that court filings have risen sharply and requested raises of roughly $8,000 each for the judge and the court administrator to cover increased evening and emergency duties. The report also flagged higher interpreter and change-of-venue costs.
The presiding judge told the Mayor and Council that court caseloads have increased substantially and asked the borough to consider salary increases for the judge and the court administrator. “Because of the, increase in our workload, I am casting for an increase in salary as well. So for Don and myself. And the increase is roughly about $8,000 for Don and $8,000 for me,” the presiding judge said.
The judge summarized year-over-year filing counts, saying that while Demarest’s 2024 numbers were low, in 2025 the court saw larger volumes: “It was 1,336 filings for traffic and 73 filings for criminal.” Councilors pressed on how court fees and retained revenue under the shared-services model are applied, and staff confirmed that each court keeps its own revenue under the current arrangement. Council members and staff discussed needing additional administrative support for handling filings, virtual sessions and police coordination if the higher caseload persists. The judge also flagged rising costs for interpretation services and more complex change-of-venue matters that can increase public defender needs.
