Jefferson County Auditor Patrick Swain reviews worksheets during one of the week's budget hearings with Jefferson County Commissioners Waymon Hallmark and Bo Alfred,from left, and Jefferson County Judge Ron Walker, right.

Many department heads and elected officials spent the week presenting next year's budget "wish lists" to Jefferson County Commissioners, explaining to the court why they are requesting additional funds for staffing and improvements.

But the judges who hear civil cases in the county got through the budget hearings without having to appear before the commissioners -- because they have all managed to keep their costs the same as last year.

According to the budget hearing worksheets obtained from the Jefferson County auditor, 172nd District Court Judge Donald Floyd's proposed budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal year is $235,844.

The only increases for Floyd's court from last year were in employee benefits and $1,600 for a laptop for the courtroom. The new budget request is only $3,137 above the 2006-2007 adjusted budget.

Bob Wortham, first term judge of the 58th District Court, is asking for less than $1,000 in additional expenses for the next fiscal year.

The 2007-2008 budget request for the 58th is $235,011. The adjusted budget for last year was $234,140. Wortham cut costs in materials and supplies that resulted in an increase of only $871.

After several decades in the 60th District Court, Judge Gary Sanderson has also kept anticipated expenses close to the 2006-2007 budget.

Sanderson submitted a request for $236,449 for fiscal year 2007-2008. An increase of $12,934 over last year is attributed to employee benefits and $6,000 for four new computers.

Judge Milton Shuffield has submitted a request of $232,978 for the 136th District Court. A small increase of $1,626 from the 2006-2007 adjusted budget was the result of an increase in employee benefits.

In each of the district courts, salaries and wages are around $150,000. The department heads have salaries listed at $15,000. Bailiffs make around $30,000, while assistants earn $41,000. Court reporters, who are charged with keeping meticulous transcripts of all court proceedings, make $62,539 per year.

The County Court at Law No. 1 also hears civil cases, and Judge Alfred Gerson requested a total of $381,298 for the next fiscal year. Benefits accounted for the $2,725 increase over last year's adjusted budget.

The District Clerk's office, which is responsible for maintaining the case filings, court documents and records, has a budget of $1,482,894 for fiscal year 2007-2008. The new budget request is only $1,140 above the last fiscal year's.

Distric Clerk Lolita Ramos has a salary of $77,029, while the many members of her staff earn a combined $858,625. The office uses $20,000 in supplies and $30,000 in postage.

The County Clerk's Office, which handles some civil filings and the bulk of the county's public records as well as elections, has a budget request of $2.3 million for next year. County Clerk Carolyn Guidry is asking for two senior deputy clerks and a deputy clerk to be added to her department. But she plans to cut $85,000 from her budget by no longer conducting elections for area cities.

The criminal courts of Judge John Stevens and Judge Layne Walker have budgets of $1.1 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

From all the budget requests submitted and reviews during hearings with the commissioners court, the Jefferson County budget for the next fiscal year will come in at just over $100 million, an increase of $15 million over 2006-2007. Most of the increased expenses are in capital improvements, including construction projects in the courthouse.

Departments hope to include a 6 percent increase to county employee salaries.

The county' s largest expenses are the Jefferson County Correctional Facility with a budget of more than $21 million, and Sheriff's Department, with a budget of $9.6 million.

The county will get a final tax revenue report at the end of July, which will allow the court to determine the tax rate and the budget. The budget must be filed by Sept. 24.
The county auditor expects Jefferson County to have a fund balance around $25 million.