Court furloughs on way
By DAWNE LEIKER
Kansas court employees will be furloughed for four Fridays due to state budget cuts, the Kansas Supreme Court said.
The dates for statewide court closures include April 9, 16, 23 and May 7. Furloughs, or involuntary unpaid leave, will affect non-judicial staff court personnel including clerks and court service officers.
Salaries make up approximately 98 percent of the judicial branch budget, leaving few options for cost-saving measures, according to a letter to judicial branch employees from Justice Lawton R. Nuss.
A hiring freeze has been in effect since December 2008, resulting in approximately 100 current vacancies. Although this has "garnered some money," the letter said, "it has put a considerable strain on you by requiring you to 'make do' with fewer workers."
The letter also pointed out the Supreme Court has tried to lessen the hardship of the furloughs by spreading the loss of income over several pay periods, and by providing maximum notice to allow for employees' planning.
Judges will have a narrow window of duties they can perform while the courts are closed, said Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees.
Only proceedings involving critical functions such as some criminal, child in need of care, sexually violent predators, emergency custody orders and temporary custody orders, and protection from abuse and stalking orders will take place.
Twenty-third Judicial District Court Administrator Phil Fielder said in his 31 years of experience with the court, furloughing employees never has taken place.
He said the Legislature's supplemental appropriation of $5 million, which prevented a six-week furlough of employees, has been a positive step, and the four days of furloughs will cause hardships but "probably won't be a major problem."
Cases scheduled for those dates will be rescheduled.
Drees said the time lost in rescheduling "will be inconvenient" but it is difficult to know the extent of the inconvenience at this time.
"I'm sure everyone will do everything they can to keep this as unobtrusive as possible," Drees said. "But the bottom line is you have four days that would have been court dates that will have to be made up."