Advertisement
Of course, roads and bridges aren’t terribly sexy, either — until a bridge falls into the Mississippi River.
We just count on the court system being open and available whenever we need the services of a judge or a clerk. We count on the court being open when we need to pay a fine or seek an order of protection.
But we can’t just count on that continued level of service if we don’t invest in it.
That’s why folks who use the services of the court system in the Winona area are in for a rude awakening.
Because of the state’s failure to adequately increase funding for court services, the 11-county Third Judicial District in southeast Minnesota must cut about $300,000 for the year that ends June 30. That’s a cut of about 15 percent.
What does that mean?
It means as many as 23 jobs will be cut.
It means some vacant positions won’t be filled.
It means you can’t just count on the court system always being open and the court services always being available.
Big deal, you say?
It’s a big deal if you’re sitting in jail waiting for a hearing to reduce bail — and you have to wait an extra few days.
It’s a big deal if you want a judge to sign an order of protection if you’ve been threatened.
It’s a big deal if you drive to town to pay a fine before 12:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, only to find that the public service window is closed on Wednesday mornings to cut costs.
It’s a big deal if you want to seek help from a public defender.
You also might think it’s a big deal if you have your term of jury service extended.
Why the strain on the court system?
Let’s look at the growth of felony cases in Winona County. As Winona Daily News reporter Kevin Behr reports in today’s edition, 985 new felony cases were filed in Winona County during the past two years. For the two years before that, 2004 and 2005, the number was 708.
We want the good guys to lock up the bad guys. We just don’t want to pay for it — and that’s ridiculous.
As Winona County Attorney Chuck MacLean says: “When you squeeze the balloon, the air has to go somewhere.”
The state court system is spending more than ever on interpreters and psychological evaluations and jury expenses. Like it or not, it’s all part of our changing world.
District Court Judge Jeffrey Thompson says the wheels of justice will certainly slow down if there are fewer judges hearing more cases.
“The people who rely on the courts probably think we’re slow enough already,” the judge said. “It’s not pretty.”
The prospect for more state funding isn’t pretty, either — especially with the notion that the deficit could jump to an estimated $1 billion.
The no-new-taxes mantra is a wonderful thing to recite.
But it doesn’t responsibly address the needs of bridges and courts and school districts and the court system.
And it doesn’t help to continually raise court fees if the added revenue goes into the state general fund and not into the court system.
Providing responsible government funding to maintain essential public services isn’t very sexy.
It isn’t as sexy as pledging no new taxes.
But the taxpayers of Minnesota have a right to expect that the state will continue to provide essential services that maintain safety.
Don’t forget that justice delayed is justice denied.
By Rusty Cunningham, publisher, on behalf of the Winona Daily News editorial board, which also includes Darrell Ehrlick, editor and Jerome Christenson, online editor. To comment, call (507) 453-3507 or send e-mail to letters@winonadailynews.com.
|
More News: |
