Date: 09-22-2017
Prosecutors fear budget cut impact on local courts
If Gov. Matt Bevin’s proposed 17 percent budget cut across state agencies becomes reality, prosecutors across the state have warned it could bring the court system to a halt. Lynn Pryor, Christian County’s commonwealth’s attorney, said the local impact could be seen nearly immediately.
Because her office’s budget is entirely funded by the state and is made up primarily of salaries, it would mean cutting staff or salary in an already overburdened office.
“We’re still going to have all the cases that come before us, but we would either have to cut salaries or (let go of) a person,” Pryor said. “There’s just no way I could lose a single one of them.”
It’s not just about maintaining the status quo for Pryor, it’s about keeping the cases moving toward resolution. In an April report from the Administrative Office of the Courts, Christian Circuit Court had 730 pending criminal cases, fourth highest in the state behind Jefferson, Fayette and Daviess counties.
In Lawrence County Assistant Commonwealth’s Atty. Anthony “Tony” Skeans also said yesterday that cuts in salaries and layoffs would have to take place if Bevin’s 17% reduction becomes reality.
“The impact in our office would mean an across the board reduction in salaries, threatening continued employment of a very well trained and experienced staff,” Skeans said. “Case loads are still growing and with the legislative directive towards alternatives to incarceration, more resources are used to mange minor drug offenders than ever before.”
Skeans, who is expected to run for the Commonwealth’s Atty. position in Lawrence Martin and Johnson Counties now held by Anna Melvin. Ms. Melvin is expected to retire before he last two years are over, maybe this year.
“In the last ten years we have already shed two full time positions,” Skeans said. “Public safety must take priority in budget considerations, and our office is an integral member of the network of law enforcement agencies that works towards safer communities.”
On any given rule day in circuit court, the one part-time and three full-time prosecutors, in addition to Pryor, each have a stack of case files on the table nearly as tall as a small child.
In addition, Pryor’s office employees includes one detective who serves every subpoena for her office and collection medical and other records for each case. The one victim advocate directly communicates with each victim and the two administrative staff members fill their time preparing for grand juries, data entry and preparing discovery for each case.
“If one of (my staff) was gone it would be difficult at best, if not impossible, to get the cases moving,” she said.
Pryor says her office, and prosecutor offices throughout the state, does the best it can with what they have to work with, but could use more bodies and resources, not less.
State agencies have already seen cuts and furloughs that have impacted employees. When furloughs were recommended a few years ago, the prosecutors were one of the only state agencies that enforced staff to take unpaid furloughs. Some offices were able to use money from asset forfeitures to pay employees, but most offices, even a medium sized office like Christian County, couldn’t afford that luxary.
Lawrence County Circuit Clerk Jodi Webb Parsley’s staff was forced to take five days off without pay recently. Ms Webb, as an elected official was not affected by the shut down.
(LAZER Editor/Publisher Mark Grayson contributed to this story.)
By Melissa Pettitt
Kentucky New Era
