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Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Ind. Courts - Judicial mandate mentioned in Carroll County
From 18 WLFI, Lafayette, this story today:
DELPHI, Ind. -Carroll County took steps Monday to ease budget woes.
County leaders moved some funds around internally and are waiting to see if the courts will reduce their spending.
Friday, the County Council requested the courts cut $90,000 from Superior, Circuit, and Joint Court Funds.
But, in a letter to the council, Superior Court Judge Jeffery Smith and Circuit Court Judge Donald Currie said it would impossible to make the cuts with the court's current workload.
If the courts do not reduce their budgets, Council President Nancy Cripe said the council may be forced to make more cuts in other areas.
She said the judges can file a mandate to make the council fund the $90,000 reduction.
"If they think it's reasonable expense to run their courts they do have the power to mandate that line item," she said.
Judge Currie and Judge Smith both refused an on-camera interview. In their letter to the council, they said "The remaining budget allowances are essential and necessary for the courts to fulfill the statutory and constitutional mandates required by the courts."
Cripe said if the courts do not make the cuts, additional reductions could be necessary. She said some of those cuts could still come from emergency services, which took the brunt of previous budget cuts.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 8, 2008 06:45 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts