May 24, 2013
Bailiffs across the state were laid off more than a year ago because of a funding crunch.
But, thanks to some extra funding from the state legislature, bailiffs will soon be back on the job.
In the 20th Judicial Court made up of Houston and Henry Counties, the job of bailiff is a part-time position and thanks to a $3 million supplemental appropriation for state lawmakers, they'll soon be back at work.
Their primary job is to take care of juries during trials.
District Attorney Doug Valeska says it’s an important task. And without bailiffs, Presiding Judge Larry Anderson says the court system suffered.
Valeska says state lawmakers could avoid laying off bailiffs in the future by increasing the court cost of each case by just two dollars.
The bailiffs should be back in the courtroom when the next round of jury trials in Dothan begin in August.
The extra money from state lawmakers did not cure all of the court system's financial problems.
A hiring freeze remains in effect and all raises and out-of-state travel are still suspended.
