County Judges Agree to Negotiate Further

County supervisors and judges negotiated for 2 1/2 hours Thursday in an effort to resolve a $13.9-million funding dispute, agreeing in the end to hold another meeting on Monday.

The judges had set today as the deadline to receive the funding, or else they would sign a court order forcing the county to make the appropriation. But they decided to extend the deadline Thursday afternoon, saying negotiators were making slow but steady progress.

“We are much closer, but we still have more work to do,” said Theodore E. Millard, presiding judge of Orange County Superior Court. “For a reasonable length of time, we are willing to meet as long as there are signs of progress.”

Millard and other county officials insist that without the $13.9 million, the courts will have to close their doors from mid-May through the end of the fiscal year in June.

County Chief Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier’s office rejects the judges’ dire predictions, noting that the courts have already been allocated $130 million, roughly the same amount they got last year.

But after Thursday’s marathon meeting, Board of Supervisors Chairman William G. Steiner and Supervisor Thomas W. Wilson said the judges had demonstrated a need for some additional funding--but not necessarily the full amount requested.

The supervisors said they are working on a funding package that would spread the court’s request over two years. While the courts would not receive full funding this year under their plan, they would receive a commitment for certain projects in next year’s budget.

“The goal is to avoid this kind of crisis next year,” Wilson said.

Wilson and Steiner agreed that any agreement struck next week would probably not please Mittermeier, who has said she sees no need for additional court funding at this time. They also stressed that an agreement would require support of a third supervisor.

Supervisor Jim Silva on Thursday expressed skepticism about the court’s request and said he is wary about allocating additional county funds.

“There is a difference between needs and wants,” he said. “I think the actual needs of the courts will become apparent without negotiations.”

Silva said he would definitely oppose funding the courts by taking money out of a $26-million fund set aside for early repayment of bankruptcy-related debts. He said the judges should be seeking relief from the state legislature, not the Board of Supervisors.