Lorain County commissioners indicated they will add another $130,000 for a magistrate for Lorain County Probate Judge James T. Walther after he explained Jan. 25 why he needed the position.
The funding became an issue when Walther’s budget request increased by $130,000 from the one he initially submitted in early December and the temporary budget that was passed Dec. 21 by Commissioners Michelle Hung and Matt Lundy.
Commissioner Dave Moore did not attend the meeting.
According to Moore and Commissioner Jeff Riddell, the temporary budget that passed Dec. 21 came in at $3 million more than was budgeted for during hearings in early December and they wanted explanations for the increases before granting them.
Moore had speculated that the increase to the temporary budget partially was the work of Lundy, who opted to increase the budgets of those he was friendly with on his way out the door after he lost his seat on the board to Riddell in the November election.
Moore further speculated that the reason Walther wanted to hire another magistrate was to provide a potential job for somone who may have lost a job when Common Pleas Judge Mark A. Betleski retired.
Walther noted that he’ll start his 14th year as the Lorain County Probate judge on Feb. 9 and that as part of his job, he is assigned 620 duties.
He said he has added programs to the court, such as the Veterans Treatment Court, which he started in 2014, and since then, has helped 50 veterans mired in the judicial system work their way through and get back on their feet.
“These are 50 lives that have been redeemed,” Walther said.
He also started what’s known as the New Journey Court, which deals with individuals suffering from extreme mental illness.
Walther noted his court has collected $11 million in back child support during his time as a judge while dealing with a continually increasing number of guardianship and probate cases that have come in part because of the opioid crisis and as baby boomers have aged.
Walther said his research showed that six counties similar in size to Lorain County all provide more than one magistrate for their Probate judge.
He said the second magistrate in his court would take over the guardianship docket, which includes the court’s Guardian Angels Program and the Lorain County Volunteer Guardianship program.
The guardianship cases can be complicated and emotional, Walther said.
Typically, they involve families that are in crisis and often are wrought with divisiveness, he said.
“There are additional programs we want to start, mostly in the area of guardianship, and that is why we added on to my budget at the end of the year to include an additional magistrate,” Walther said.
Walther’s presentation convinced the commissioners that his court should receive the increase.
Moore said he doesn’t have a problem granting budget increases, but he is looking for explanations for the need for more money.
“He made the presentation for the increase,” Moore said. “We don’t have a problem. Just come in and make your case.”
Riddell said that the original budget put together in November and presented Dec. 1, “somehow in three weeks increased by $3 million and we put the breaks on that.”
Riddell said when he contacted Walther and asked him to come in front of the commissioners to explain why he needed the second magistrate, Walther didn’t hesitate in taking him up on the offer.
“He came forward and had the absolute correct answers,” Riddell said.
To Walther’s credit, he could have chosen to explain his need for the additional money in an executive session, Riddell said.
“He chose the public session and he made a very compelling case for a second magistrate,” Riddell said.
