Title
Title
Trial Court Budget | Allocation Methodologies for Potential Future Funding Reductions and Restorations (Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
The Workload Formula is the Judicial Council-approved policy by which certain funding is allocated to the trial courts to support funding equity, stability, and predictability. The policy does not include methodologies for addressing trial court funding reductions and restorations. The Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends updating the policy to incorporate allocation methodologies to address future budget situations including (1) budget reductions, (2) a funding restoration in the same fiscal year as the reduction occurred, and (3) a funding restoration that occurs in a future fiscal year following a reduction in a prior fiscal year. Establishing these policies will increase transparency regarding how funding is allocated to the trial courts so they can plan for changes in funding levels and allow the Judicial Council to address budget changes more efficiently going forward.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends that the Judicial Council, effective July 18, 2025:
1. Approve the reverse Workload Formula equity reduction allocation methodology without reduction limitation calculated on each court’s Workload Formula allocation for any potential future funding reduction. This methodology will apply the reduction based on a court’s size and position from the statewide average funding level. Courts surrounding the statewide average within a specified band will take a proportional reduction, courts above the band will take a larger reduction, and courts below the band take a lesser reduction;
2. Approve an allocation methodology for a restoration of funding that occurs in the same fiscal year the reduction took place based on a recalculation of the reduction using the initial methodology with the restored funding; and
3. Approve an allocation methodology for a restoration of funding in a future fiscal year that follows a reduction in a prior fiscal year based on the existing Judicial Council-approved Workload Formula methodology calculated on the Workload Formula need amount. In general, the Workload Formula allocates the first 50 percent of funding to courts under the statewide average and then the remaining 50 percent is allocated to all courts.
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Speakers
Speakers
Hon. Jonathan B. Conklin, Chair, Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee
Mr. Zlatko Theodorovic, Budget Services