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Judge: juvenile 'other legal fees' rising; requests $10,000 increase
Summary
A judge presenting the circuit court budget told the commission the largest proposed change is a $10,000 increase in the 'legal fees, other juvenile' line to cover appointed counsel in abuse and neglect proceedings and cited higher monthly spending trends.
A judge presenting the 38th Circuit Court budget told commissioners the court was not broadly increasing its 2027 proposal but did propose a $10,000 increase "for what is called legal fees, other juvenile," a category that pays appointed counsel for indigent parents in abuse and neglect proceedings. The judge said the county currently pays roughly $80 an hour to appointed attorneys and that monthly spending has been trending up toward about $11,000 per month.
The judge said juvenile representation and guardian ad litem fees remain the largest parts of the court budget and that the court prefers yearly contract arrangements for some delinquency work to stabilize costs. Commissioners asked for historical actuals and flagged the impact of mandates: several court services were described as required either by the Supreme Court or statute, limiting local discretion to reduce expenses.
