Court Funding Accord Approved by Supervisors

The Board of Supervisors has approved a settlement ending an eight-month legal fight with Orange County’s judges over court funding.

Under the deal, county courts will get an additional $2.95 million in operating funds, a fraction of the $23 million the county’s six presiding judges had sought. But many of the courthouse improvements will be funded with state money, the result of a law passed in September shifting some of the responsibility for court funding to the state.

The Board of Supervisors also agreed Tuesday to create, but not fund, 37 new administrative positions and 19 new marshal positions in the courts. The courts agreed to seek funding for the positions from the state.

The deal is essentially the same one the supervisors approved in December.

Under the agreement, the county will reimburse the courts for legal fees associated with the lawsuit, which court officials estimated at more than $1 million.