Cowley County District Court employees are anxious to see if legislators can restore all or part of a funding shortfall that ? if left unaddressed ? would lead to a series of week-long employee furloughs.
"Morale is down here," Marilyn Leith, district court clerk, said. "The ladies here are like anyone else, they’re working because they need to make money."
The state’s court system is facing an $8 million budget shortfall that led court officials at the state level to devise a schedule calling for non-judicial employees to be furloughed for one week in February, March and April, seven days in May and five more days in June.
That’s just three days short of one full month.
During that time court offices would close and judges would be asked to do only absolutely necessary administrative tasks. Other court employees would not work at all and would not be able to use sick leave or vacation time to cover days off, Leith said.
Cowley County District court has nine employees working in Winfield and four at an office in Ark City. A total of 13.
Cutting back on manpower costs is the only real expense cutting tool for the state court system because nearly all of its budget funds salaries.
With the first of the furlough dates a month away, court employees across the state are anxious to see if legislators can come up with money to eliminate or reduce the number of furlough days. The governor has pledged to restore at least $5 million of the funding shortfall but so far it’s mostly a political promise.
Ron Keefover, a spokesperson for the Kansas judicial system, said it’s too early to know just how many days district courts will be forced to close but said the furlough schedule so far remains unaltered . He hopes a decision on funding is made soon to help curb stress felt by employees.
"We’re all hopeful that the fog is about to lift," Keefover said.
Keefover wouldn’t speculate as to how many furlough days would be needed if $5 million in funding was restored.
State Rep. Ed Trimmer, a Winfield Democrat, thinks the Legislature is likely to provide at least some money to the court system in order to cut back the number of furlough days. But he added that eliminating court-employee layoffs altogether is not likely.
"I think the idea that furloughs are coming is very real," he said. "(Courts) are going to be closing at times this year. I think that is fact."
Leith, who will be subject to the furloughs should they happen, said her office is already down two clerks due to a hiring freeze put in place to cut costs. In addition to staffing trials, hearings and other court proceedings, district court employees process a considerable amount of paperwork and provide support to judges and attorneys, she said.
Which is why the prospect of the courts closing down for a week each month, seems to Leith like a bad idea that will have a negative effect on more than just employee pocketbooks.
"I keep saying that it isn’t going to happen," she said. "But we’re getting closer and closer to February, so who knows what’s going to happen."
