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Circuit court seeks juror‑pay and psychiatric services funding amid rising evaluation costs
Summary
A circuit-court presenter told commissioners the general assembly raised juror pay rules that required a budget bump (speaker estimated $50,000) and flagged growing psychiatric evaluation costs, which court staff said can run thousands per defendant for competency or insanity evaluations.
A circuit‑court presenter updated commissioners on the court’s budget needs, saying the state increased the statutory requirement for juror pay and that the court had requested an increase to cover the new standard. The presenter estimated the budgetary impact related to juror costs at about $50,000 and said the court has not had several jury trials this year but expects upcoming cases that could use the funds.
The presenter also flagged psychiatric and psychological evaluation costs tied to competency and insanity‑defense matters, noting the statute requires appointment of two separate evaluators in many cases. "It is super expensive... it's, I think, $5,000," the presenter (speaker 6) said, explaining the court sometimes must appoint both a psychiatrist and a psychologist and that such evaluations have strained line items in the current budget. Court staff said they have reallocated funds and may seek transfers later in the fiscal year if additional cases arise.
The presenter described operational impacts including staff turnover, upcoming retirements and schedule shifts; commissioners asked clarifying questions about turnover timing and how payouts for vacation or other separations would be handled. The presenter said the office is monitoring costs and will return to the commissioners if midyear transfers are required.
