Discuss, consider, and take appropriate action on a Line Item Transfer between Pretrial Services and the District Courts.

In the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget, Pretrial Services was approved $29,671 in Temp Labor funds in order to backfill for an employee who was scheduled to be on military leave for an undetermined period of time in FY2021.  The employee returned from military leave status unexpectedly early, and Pretrial Services has not needed to utilize those funds. 

The District Courts are working to address the case backlog that has resulted from the change in operations necessitated by COVID-19.  The Courts are utilizing several techniques to address this backlog, including aggressive case screening and scheduling for virtual hearings, and exploring other techniques, including use of visiting judges.  Each District Court has 1 administrative staff member, which limits the administrative capacity of each Court, as the Judges are heavily reliant on Court Administrators to perform administrative functions that allow them to focus on judicial duties.

This request seeks to provide resources to the District Courts to increase administrative support, and, through interdepartmental cooperation, does so by utilizing already-allocated funds that would go unused in FY21 by transferring Temp. Labor funds from Pretrial Services (0591) to District Courts (0435).