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SECTION D -- COURTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES
CIRCUIT COURT
DEPARTMENT BUDGET SUMMARY
MISSION STATEMENT: To administer justice in a fair, timely and efficient manner.
The Circuit Court is the trial
court of general jurisdiction, and the highest court in the County for both
civil and criminal cases. The Circuit Court,
which is comprised of the Judges' Office and the Clerk's Office, also has
appellate jurisdiction over all cases from the General District Court and from
the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
FY 2006 PRIORITIES: The FY 2006 priorities of the Circuit Court are:
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To continue to automate and maintain the recording,
preservation and information retrieval systems using electronic scanning and
other innovations to permit off-site information access first for land records,
and ultimately for most court records.
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To continue to administer the Court's docket in an
efficient and fair manner.
PRINCIPAL PROGRAMS: The principal programs
of the Circuit Court are:
The Judges' Office ($379,608, 5.0 FTEs): In civil cases, the Circuit Court has concurrent jurisdiction
with the General District Court concerning claims from $3,000 to $15,000, and
exclusive original jurisdiction over claims exceeding $15,000. The Circuit Court also has jurisdiction over
all equity (chancery) matters. These
court matters include divorce cases, disputes concerning wills and estates, and
disputes involving property.
In criminal cases, the Circuit
Court has jurisdiction over the trial of all felonies (offenses that may be
punished by commitment to the state penitentiary) and those misdemeanors
(offenses carrying a penalty of not more than 12 months in jail)
originally charged in Circuit Court.
The Circuit Court also has jurisdiction over juveniles aged
15 years and older who are charged with felonies and whose cases have been
certified by a Judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court for
trial in Circuit Court.
The Clerk's Office ($2,243,348, 28.8 FTEs): The Clerk is the administrator of the Court
and custodian of all court records. All
suits are filed with the Clerk, and the proper taxes and fees are assessed.
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DEPARTMENT
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
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FY 2004
Actual
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FY 2005
Adopted
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FY 2006
Proposed
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% Change:
'05 to '06
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Personnel
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$1,945,995
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$2,051,094
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$2,116,421
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3%
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Non-Personnel
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377,543
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515,908
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506,535
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-2%
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Total Expenditures
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2,323,538
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2,567,002
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2,622,956
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2%
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Fees
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5,678,191
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4,061,524
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6,355,261
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56%
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Grants
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1,482,538
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925,000
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1,600,000
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73%
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Total Revenues
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7,160,729
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4,986,524
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7,955,261
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60%
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Net Tax Support
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($4,837,191)
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($2,419,522)
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($5,332,305)
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-120%
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Authorized FTEs
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33.8
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33.8
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33.8
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Funded FTEs
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33.8
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33.8
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33.8
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SIGNIFICANT BUDGET CHANGES: The FY 2006
proposed budget for the Circuit Court is $2,622,956, a two percent increase
over FY 2005.
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Increase in personnel expenditures ($65,327) is due to
normal salary and benefit increases.
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Non-personnel expenditures decreased due to a decrease
in DTS telephone charges ($9,373).
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Revenues increased mainly due to increases in
Recordation Tax ($1,622,000), Court Costs ($700,614), Deeds and Grantor's tax ($675,000),
offset by a decrease in Falls Church reimbursement ($28,877).
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Most functions performed by the Clerk carry a fee. A portion of that fee goes to the Clerk for
salaries and expenses (for example the fee for a marriage license is $30.00,
$10.00 of which is "Clerk's fee").
These fees fund the Compensation Board salary and expense budget for the
office. Arlington is a big and busy
office and collects fees in excess of expenditures. Two thirds of this amount is sent back to Arlington County by the
state (by statute).
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
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CY
2002 Actual
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CY 2003
Actual
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CY 2004
Actual
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CY
2005 Estimate
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CY
2006 Estimate
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CY
2006 Goal
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Mission Outcome
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Civil cases adjudicated
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1,587
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1,565
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1,700
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1,900
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1,900
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1,900
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Civil cases jury days
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82
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70
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80
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80
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80
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80
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Criminal cases adjudicated
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3,128
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2,894
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3,300
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3,500
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3,500
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3,500
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Criminal cases jury days
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132
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100
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130
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145
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145
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145
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Customer
Measures
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Data entry defect rate
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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<1%
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<1%
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<1%
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Percent favorable rating on customer survey
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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80%
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80%
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100%
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Workload Measures
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Civil cases filed
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1,727
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2,226
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2,200
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2,500
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2,500
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2,500
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Criminal cases filed
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3,229
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3,113
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3,200
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3,700
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3,700
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3,700
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Deeds recorded
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60,415
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80,000
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54,000
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50,000
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55,000
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55,000
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Customer
satisfaction survey card is being developed for the Civil Section counter where
all public inquiries are handled and civil suits are processed.
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