Iowa Supreme Court approves over $175 million budget, continues hiring freeze

DES MOINES - The Iowa Supreme Court approved the budget for fiscal year 2018 Wednesday, which will continue a statewide hiring freeze from last fiscal year that resulted in over 150 vacant positions.

Iowa Judicial Branch officials said only the most critical positions will be filled in this year.

The Iowa Legislature appropriated $175.7 million for judicial branch operations in fiscal year 2018, the same amount appropriated last year after a midyear deappropriation, but more than $3 million short of the legislature's fiscal year 2016 appropriation.

'With more than 150 vacancies, our statewide court system has the fewest employees in our history,” State Court Administrator David Boyd said in a statement Wednesday. 'Even though we continue to implement efficiencies such as statewide electronic filing of court documents, we still require clerks to process those documents and judges to decide those cases.

Boyd pointed out there is 'more work than we have people to do the work.” The result is individuals using the court system will not receive the 'timely services they expect and deserve,” he added.

The continued freeze on hiring will likely create more vacancies in the coming fiscal year, Boyd said. Additionally, district court judge positions that become vacant will be held open for the balance of the fiscal year, with the limit of one district court judgeship vacant at any one time in any one judicial district.

District associate judgeships that become vacant will not be held vacant, Boyd said. The budget also continues non-personnel reductions that started last year, including a 20 percent cut in office supplies and postage, a 50 percent cut in furniture and non-IT equipment, and a 10 percent reduction in education and training programs.

The budget also includes a 1 percent salary increase for all judicial branch employees and a 2 percent step increase for all employees not at the top of their pay grade, officials noted. In addition, judges and magistrates will receive a 2.5 percent salary bump, which is their first increase in four years and only their second salary increase in 10 years.

'In order to minimize disruption of services with the large number of vacant positions, it is very important to the court to retain experienced employees and judges,” Boyd said. 'I am confident that the remaining staff will continue their efforts to deliver high quality court services in spite of the challenges we face.”

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