Proposed budget ordinance includes Recorder’s Court restructuring

A budget ordinance that will be presented to Columbus Council Tuesday includes plans to restructure Recorder’s Court.

Under the changes proposed by council, the city would hire one senior full-time judge at an annual salary range of $85,386 to $153,697. The senior judge would preside over morning and afternoon court sessions on week days. The portion of the salary not already budgeted would come from a contingency fund.

The senior judge would be given a pot of money and the authority to hire part-time judges to preside over Environmental Court, as well as Saturday and holiday court sessions, on an as needed basis. The part-time judges would be selected from a roster that the senior judge develops, and they would be paid $150 per session.

There are currently one part-time interim senior judge and three part-time judges at the court.

The city plans to advertise the position after the first reading of the ordinance, said City Manager Isaiah Hugley. The Human Resources Department will forward job candidates to Columbus Council, which will oversee the hiring process. Under the new set-up, council also will form a committee to work directly with the senior judge.

Councilors hashed out the plan May 30 at a council work session, authorizing the city attorney to make it part of the budget ordinance. The first reading of the ordinance will be held during a 5:30 p.m. meeting, providing an opportunity for public input.

The discussion was a carryover from a May 23 council meeting where city staff presented two resolutions to restructure the court. The resolutions called for the city to restructure the court, hiring:

• A full-time senior Recorder’s Court judge at an annual salary range of $85,386 to $153,697, plus three pro tem judges.
• A full-time chief clerk of Recorder’s Court at an annual salary of $41,968 and eliminating the court’s current coordinator position.

At that meeting, councilors approved plans to move forward with hiring a full-time clerk, using funds already budgeted for a court coordinator. The clerk position, now occupied on an interim basis by Larry Love, was previously filled by Maj. Terri Ezell, who returned to the Muscogee County Sheriff's Office. But council delayed a vote on hiring the judges, asking for more clarification on how it would impact city finances.

The court has been in transition ever since January when the city named Judge Julius Hunter interim senior Recorder’s Court judge. He replaced Judge Michael Cielinski, who was recovering from surgery on extended leave at the time. Cielinski has since retired from the position, which currently pays $43,846.

This story was originally published June 6, 2017 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Proposed budget ordinance includes Recorder’s Court restructuring."