Plaintiffs going to court to collect on bad debts may have to wait a while before their cases are decided.
The Allen County District Court system will be closed each Friday through May 7, as ordered by the Kansas Supreme Court in March.
The furloughs were announced in a press release Monday as part of an effort to make up the court system’s budget deficit.
All employees in the court clerk’s office will be on unpaid leave those days, according to the press release.
“The court closings were ordered … after the current fiscal year appropriations fell greatly below the amounts needed to maintain operations at normal levels.”
The salary of all state judges has been reduced by 5 percent through June 30 as well.
Efforts to cope with a 13.5 percent reduction in the court system’s statewide budget have included a hiring freeze, elimination of temporary employee positions, an emergency surcharge on court filings and other cuts. Salaries make up 80 percent of the judicial branch’s budget.
The only exceptions to the court closures would be to determine probable cause for arrest without a warrant and conducting first appearances for defendants in criminal cases.
DINA MORRISON, district court clerk for Allen County, said small claims and other limited civil cases are typically scheduled on Fridays. Those will be pushed back.
Morrison credits her staff’s efficiency at preventing case backlogs from occurring, although backlogs are likely to occur with only four-day work weeks over the next month.
All courts in the 31st Judicial District, including Allen, Neosho, Woodson and Wilson counties, are affected by the furloughs.
