Clark County officials offer compromise on judgeships

CARSON CITY -- Clark County announced Monday that it would pay for five of the 10 new district judgeships requested by the state's judges and justices.

"This is an unfunded liability on Clark County," county lobbyist Sabra Smith-Newby said. "But we have increased our offer to five. Our offer to meet them halfway was not accepted."

Smith-Newby told the Assembly Ways and Means Committee that the cost of constructing courtrooms and adding support staff would top $40 million if all 10 judgeships were approved.

The committee did not take action on Assembly Bill 246, which is exempt from a requirement that it receive Assembly approval by midnight tonight or be declared dead for the 2007 Legislature.

AB246 would increase the number of district judges in Clark County by 10 and the number in Washoe County by two. Six of the new judges in Clark County would work in Family Court. Clark County now has 37 district judges, compared with 17 in Washoe County.

The state's only obligation would be the salaries and benefits of the new judges. District judges are paid $130,000 a year. A bill to increase that pay by 30 percent is under legislative revenue.

After Smith-Newby's testimony, Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Maupin offered Clark County the use of a part of his court's space on the top floor of the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas.

"If this will help the financial situation for Clark County, we will be happy to make the north half of our facility available to them," Maupin said.

District Court Administrator Chuck Short said costs to Clark County would be $18 million for office remodeling and $6.2 million in annual costs to create the 10 new district judge seats.

He said county revenue has increased by nearly 10 percent a year for the past four years. Even if revenue growth were 6 percent, Short said, the county could afford the cost of the new courts.

"Our proposal is not unreasonable," Short said.

But Smith-Newby said that the county operates under a spending cap and that demands have been made for new staff members for the offices of the district attorney and public defender.

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, encouraged the county and judges to continue trying to work out a compromise.

"It is clear more judges are needed," she said. "I don't think anyone is arguing that."

But during the hearing, former Family Court Judge Robert Lueck argued against adding all of the new judges.

"The expense of remodeling is incredible," he said. "Where are we going to put them? Why aren't we considering non-adversarial means of dispute resolution?"

Lueck said a significant number of cases could be resolved through mediation.

"The testimony today is the same as the last 30 years," he said.

"More courts, more judges. The committee needs to ask the (court) representatives some hard questions."

"We get your point," responded Leslie, who ended further testimony from Lueck.