News Release
November 12, 2009
Contact: Steve Davis, Court
Communications Officer, (515)725-8058
Judicial
Branch Announces Further Budget Cuts
Des Moines, November 12,
2009— Today, the Iowa
Judicial Branch initiated further steps to reduce its operating expenses for
the current fiscal year to help address the state's severe financial problems. (See
Supervisory Order) The judicial branch will lay off 105 employees, will cut
100 vacant staff positions, and will reduce the hours of 58 employees. All
told, these cuts equate to a 9.3% reduction in workforce (See
charts). Today's actions are in addition to the ten days of court closures
and unpaid leave for all judges, magistrates, and court employees announced
earlier this week.
These and other cost-cutting
measures will reduce the judicial branch FY 10 operating budget by $11.4
million, or 7.1%. The 7.1% cut corresponds with the state's revenue shortfall
as estimated by the State Revenue Estimating Conference last month. Legislative
leaders have indicated to court officials that the legislature expects the
judicial branch to make substantial cuts in response to this estimate.
The supreme court initially
considered making cuts commensurate with the governor's 10% across-the-board
reduction ordered for executive branch agencies, which is designed to build a
cushion that can be reallocated to critical executive branch agencies and to
serve as a hedge against future cuts. As a separate branch of government, the
judicial branch is not subject to the governor's 10% across-the-board cut.
Ultimately, the supreme court decided a 7.1% reduction was a more prudent
option given the vital nature of court services, yet would still be sufficient
to meet the current revenue shortfall.
"The Court thoroughly
examined and earnestly considered the actions we would need to take to meet a
10% cut," said Chief Justice Marsha Ternus.
"At 10%, the cost in terms of public service would be enormous, decimating
our workforce and crippling our ability to resolve critical cases and provide
essential services. As it is, a 7.1% cut requires draconian measures that will
result in long delays, gaps in service, and reduced public access to the
courts."
Chief Justice Ternus added: "The judicial branch is concerned about
the state's financial crisis, and is doing all that it can reasonably do to
reduce expenses. Budget cuts, however, typically have a disproportionate effect
on the judicial branch because we have no reserve funds to tap and no programs
to eliminate. We have people—employees and judges who are the life blood of the
court system, directly providing the court services Iowans need. Even with a
7.1% cut the judicial branch will lay off more employees, cut more jobs, and
require more unpaid leave than most state offices and departments, including
the regents."
Chief Justice Ternus continued: "Despite these cuts, the judicial
branch will continue to send judges to every county on a regular basis and to
operate a clerk of court office in each county. However, because we have cut
the staff in our clerk of court offices so deeply, we have no choice but to
reduce the hours of those offices. Twenty-three clerk of court offices will
operate for less than forty hours a week, and others will have reduced public
hours so they have some uninterrupted time to work on backlogs."
"We are particularly
concerned about the impact our cuts will have on our work with troubled
juveniles and abused and neglected children," said Chief Justice Ternus. "Nonetheless, we will strive to give priority
to these cases within the limits of our reduced resources."
The Iowa Judicial Branch
endured two previous rounds of budget cuts in 2009. In March, the legislature
cut the appropriation to the judicial branch FY 09 budget by $3.8 million,
resulting in five court closure days, reductions in travel and other cuts. In
June, the supreme court approved an FY 10 budget that reduced operating
expenses by $5.4 million. This reduction resulted in the elimination of 34
staff positions along with other cost-cutting measures. With today's staff
reduction, there are 15% fewer judicial branch employees in FY 10 than there
were ten years ago. (See Budget
FAQ)
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2009
Iowa
Supreme Court
1111
East Court Avenue
Des
Moines, IA 50319
515-281-3952
