Shawano County is joining several others from around the state asking the governor and state legislature for more money to operate the circuit court system.
In 2023, the total cost to Wisconsin counties for running all circuit courts was $237 million. At the same time, the court support funding from the state to counties was $28 million, 12% of the actual cost to run the local courts.
In conjunction with the Wisconsin Counties Association and Wisconsin Clerk of Courts Association, Shawano County officials adopted a resolution asking the state for an additional $70 million in funding statewide.
“At the state level, we’ve been working at increasing the funding for the court system,” said Ethan Schmidt, county clerk of courts. “That (additional $70 million) would bring us to an 80%-20% split; so it would be 80% cost to the county, 20% cost to the state. That is what is was supposed to be back when it was set up.”
The resolution points out that the state’s fiscal responsibilities include judges, court reporters, CCAP (online records) equipment and the circuit court cost appropriation.
Counties are fiscally responsible for the majority of other functions of the court — including, but not limited to, bailiffs and court security officers, courthouse building maintenance, phones and utilities, clerk of court and register in probate, staff salaries and benefits, jury costs, psychological exams, guardians ad litem and court-appointed attorneys, expert witnesses, interpreters and translation fees, court commissioners, law libraries, corporation counsel, courtroom technology and audio visuals, copying machines and other non-CCAP office technology, office supplies, furniture, recruitment and training, financial collection efforts, mail fees, printing costs, exhibit and file storage, access to state data, insurance, service of court documents, judicial staff attorneys and equipment repair.
“The only increase in the last 10 years to the funding was $6 million, and that wasn’t really an increase to the counties,” Schmidt said.
The $6 million was directed toward the costs of setting up and funding eight additional circuit court branches.
Over the last 10 years, the increase in the county portion of cost to run the courts is nearly six times higher than the increase in circuit court cost appropriations provided to cover these costs, and counties now pay almost $150 million more than the state in circuit court costs.
“One of the areas here in Shawano that we get hit on a lot … is interpreter costs,” he said. “We have a high number of interpreter cases, primarily Spanish-speaking individuals.”
The county must pay an interpreter for a minimum of two hours, even if he or she is only needed for 15 minutes.
To reduce costs, the county sets up a two-hour time period Wednesday afternoons and schedules as many interpreter-needed cases as possible in that time period.
“That way we’re making good use of having them here,” Schmidt said. “We generally take that full two hours every week. We had started twice a month, and now we have gone weekly.”
The county’s regular interpreter lives in Clintonville. Interpreters sometimes appear via Zoom to save on travel costs. Also, the Clintonville interpreter spends winter months in Arizona, so Zoom calls are used during those months.
All court interpreters must be state-certified, and the use of Zoom calls must be approved by the presiding judge.
“We’re not as fortunate as some other counties that are paying an hour, two-hour travel time as well, on top of the interpreter service,” Schmidt said.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
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