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SECTION D -- COURTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES
GENERAL DISTRICT COURT
DEPARTMENT BUDGET SUMMARY
MISSION STATEMENT: To administer
justice in a fair, timely and efficient manner in the areas of criminal,
traffic, civil, small claims and involuntary civil commitment.
The General District Court is the
court with the greatest public contact.
It has the largest and most varied caseload of the three courts in
Arlington County. The General District
Court has five divisions: criminal, traffic, civil, small claims, and
involuntary civil commitment.
The Court's criminal responsibilities include arraignment
of criminal defendants, bond hearings, trials of defendants charged with
misdemeanors, preliminary hearings of defendants charged with felonies and
probation services. In addition, the Court
issues protective orders to provide safety to victims of crime. The Court hears all traffic cases involving
individuals eighteen years of age or older.
The Court's civil jurisdiction is generally limited to matters when the
amount in dispute is $15,000 or less.
The Court has jurisdiction for commercial landlord-tenant matters,
regardless of the amount. The Court is
responsible for conducting involuntary mental commitment hearings.
In fulfilling its
responsibilities, the General District Court strives to assure courtesy,
fairness, and efficiency, and to fulfill its responsibility to dispense justice
appropriately in each case. The Court
recognizes the challenges presented by its high case volume and continues to
monitor its success in these goals.
FY 2006 PRIORITIES: The FY 2006
priorities of the General District Court are:
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To continue to review court procedures to assure the
needs of all parties with business before the court are met in the best way
possible.
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To continue to provide the highest quality service from
the Clerk's Office and the Magistrate's Office, processing criminal warrants,
traffic summonses, fine payments, records, case filings and inquiries.
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To review expansion of the use of mediation as
appropriate.
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To continue to improve access to services for
non-English speaking clientele.
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To continue cooperation with County and non-profit
agencies to serve the Court's constituency.
PRINCIPAL PROGRAMS: The principal programs of the General District Court are:
Judges' Office ($188,395, 1.2 FTE): Along with handling the judiciary duties of the Court and cases
within its jurisdiction, the Court also arranges for appointment of counsel for
the indigent, facilitating civil involuntary mental commitment hearings, in
cooperation with the Sheriff's Office and the Department of Human Services
(DHS).
Clerk's Office ($72,945, 0.3 FTE):
The General District Court Clerk's Office processes criminal warrants,
traffic summonses, and civil cases. The
Clerk's Office also processes pre-payments of traffic fines; collects fees,
fines and court costs assessed in General District Traffic and Criminal Courts;
and provides assistance to the public.
Magistrate's Office ($15,508):
The Magistrates' Office issues warrants for the arrest of violators of
state law and County ordinances; admits to bail or commits to jail all persons
charged with offenses, subject to the limitations and in accordance with the
general laws on bail; issues civil warrants; accepts pre-payments of traffic
summonses when the Clerk's Office is closed; and issues temporary detention
orders. The Magistrate administers
oaths, takes acknowledgements, and acts as conservators for the peace.
SIGNIFICANT BUDGET CHANGES: The FY 2006
proposed budget for General District Court is $276,848, a one percent increase over
FY 2005. There are no significant
changes.
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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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$64,325
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$85,097
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$88,839
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4%
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Non-Personnel
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164,028
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189,887
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188,009
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-1%
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Total Expenditures
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228,353
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274,984
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276,848
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1%
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Fees
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2,210,767
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1,984,618
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1,989,705
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-
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Grants
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-
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-
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-
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-
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Total Revenues
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2,210,767
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1,984,618
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1,989,705
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-
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Net Tax Support
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($1,982,414)
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($1,709,634)
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($1,712,857)
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-
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Authorized FTEs
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1.5
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1.5
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1.5
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Funded FTEs
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1.5
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1.5
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1.5
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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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Traffic cases adjudicated
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78,814
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76,103
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76,103
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77,533
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78,000
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78,000
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Criminal cases adjudicated
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7,226
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7,704
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7,704
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7,528
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7,700
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7,700
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Civil cases adjudicated
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9,920
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10,132
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10,132
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9,974
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10,000
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10,000
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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 service
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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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80%
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Workload Measures
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Traffic
cases filed
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77,770
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76,194
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75,302
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76,502
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77,000
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77,000
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Criminal
cases filed
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6,468
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5,340
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6,407
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6,407
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6,500
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6,500
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Civil cases
filed
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9,574
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7,206
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9,051
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9,051
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9,500
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9,500
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Probable
cause hearings
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7,296
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7,752
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7,695
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7,695
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7,700
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7,700
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Bond
hearings
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11,717
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12,025
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11,986
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11,986
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12,000
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12,000
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Other
processes
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2,850
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2,844
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2,845
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2,845
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2,900
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2,900
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Percent
of fines collected
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87%
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80%
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84%
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85%
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85%
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85%
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Customer
satisfaction survey card is being developed for the Clerk's Office counter
where all public inquiries are handled and fines are paid.
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Other
processes include involuntary mental commitment motions (except civil) and
administrative review hearings.
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