Clerk of court offices reducing hours open to public

DES MOINES – The Iowa Supreme Court's chief justice issued an order Tuesday limiting the hours clerk of court offices around the state are open to the public as a way to deal with reduced staffing.

Chief Justice Marsha Ternus' order will have clerk's offices in 23 counties operate on a part-time basis because of layoffs.

Under her order, reduced hours will begin immediately in Adams, Ringgold, Taylor and Wayne counties.

The other counties going to part-time hours will begin December 11. They include Adair, Audubon, Butler, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Davis, Decatur, Greene, Hancock, Howard, Humboldt, Keokuk, Lucas, Mitchell, Monroe, Pocahontas, Van Buren, Winnebago and Worth Counties.

All other clerk's offices will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. but will be closed to the public from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Dec. 15. Court officials say that will give them uninterrupted time to work on a backlog of work.

Last week, the court announced a 9.3 percent reduction in employees for the judicial branch. It included the layoff of 66 clerk of court employees, the elimination of 43 vacant clerk of court positions, the retirement of 14 and reduced hours for 35 more.

Judges, magistrates and court employees also are taking 10unpaid days off as part of a cost-cutting measure.

The cuts announced last week meant $11.4 million out of the state's judicial branch budget.

In a statement issued at the time of the cuts, Ternus said the state's eroding revenue situation “requires draconian measures that will result in long delays, gaps in service, and reduced public access to the courts.”