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The question on how to fund district courts dominated a roundtable discussion Thursday between Luzerne County officials and state lawmakers.
Councilman Harry Haas, part of the council’s legislative committee, chaired the second annual brainstorming session focused on finding ways to scare up additional funding for the county.
State Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, pointed to a cut in state funding to the district court system as part of the problem.
“It really was last minute,” Kaufer said, adding the decision caught him off guard.
Paul Hindmarsh, a deputy court administrator, admitted the money the state reimbursed Luzerne County to operate its district courts last year didn’t equal what the courts had generated in revenue for the state.
County Court Administrator Michael Shucosky and Chief Public Defender Steven M. Greenwald spoke at the request of Haas. They both argued the courts need to be funded correctly.
Shucosky said Luzerne County reaps very little of the court costs imposed on defendants at the magisterial level thanks to certain taxes and fees which must go to the state. Meanwhile, the courts have been forced to absorb certain expenses on their own, such as hiring translators for defendants or witnesses who don’t speak English.
“This is the justice system we have, and the justice system we choose,” Suchosky said.
Rep. Kaufer pointed out he has proposed an opioid bill that tacks on up to $250 in fees in drug cases. That’s when Greenwald played devil’s advocate.
“There is big money for dealers, manufacturers (of drugs), but not for users,” the attorney said, noting if individuals can’t pay fines, they lose their license which could cause them to lose their job.
“The pendulum is swinging in the wrong direction,” said state Rep. Mike Carroll, D-Avoca. “It’s very detrimental to those getting their lives in order.”
Council committee member Stephen Urban said there are states that have their own public defender’s budget. Pennsylvania is one of the only states in the country that requires public defenders to be paid for by counties. Greenwald said there is case law saying the state should pay for public defenders, but Pennsylvania chooses to ignore it.
Haas encouraged the roughly 50 people in attendance to email him about possible financial solutions, which he would relay to the legislators.
