Plan addresses judicial branch budget deficit

TOPEKA—All of the state's 31 chief judges have been notified this week of steps approved by the Supreme Court to address a $1.9 to $2.0 million deficit in the budget for the fiscal year beginning Monday.

Key components of the plan include the continuation of a 60-day delay in filling nonjudicial vacancies, a 25 percent reduction in the amount of funds available to hire temporary workers, elimination of travel for district magistrate judges from outlying districts into districts that do not have district magistrate judges, elimination of travel for Court of Appeals hearings, and assignment of additional specific budget reductions in each judicial district.

Even with those savings, however, the Judicial Branch will still be $528,753 short of meeting the budget as approved by this year's Legislature. That money will have to be either saved by further action of the Supreme Court or through a supplemental appropriation from the 2002 Legislature. If a supplemental appropriation is not forthcoming, the chief judges have been advised it is possible that three one-day furloughs of non-judicial employees may be planned for the months of April, May, and June, with one furlough day scheduled in each month.

Rumors that employee furloughs every Friday, or every Friday for several consecutive weeks, are not true and are not part of the budget plan that was announced this week.

Following is a summary of the Court's plan to address the $1.9 to $2.0 million deficit:

Judicial Branch Budget Deficit Reduction Plan

Total Budget Deficit $1.9 to $2.0 Million
Minus 60-Day Hiring Freeze ($700,000 to $800,000)
Minus System-Wide Reductions ($146,636)
Minus Local Reductions ($524,611)
Projected Remaining Deficit ($528,753)