The Daily Courier, Prescott, Ariz., recently reported that presiding Superior Court Judge David Mackey presented the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors with a court budget that calls for an overall two percent increase for the fiscal year 2014-2015. The proposed increase would make the salaries of two court employees, a bailiff, and a court reporter the responsibility of the county and eliminate the current state-supplied “fill-gap” currently funding those positions, which is running low.
“If we don’t get this fill-the-gap fund to a neutral level and stop spending more than it’s bringing in every year, then we’ll be unable to go forward and continue to fund two full-time (judge) pro-tem positions in the future,” Mackey said.