By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
While crime appears to be a growth industry in a tough recession, the court system here is steadily shrinking.
The Rowan County Clerk of Court’s office is down five employees, while criminal and civil actions are continuing to pile up.
The Clerk’s Office is caught in the statewide freeze that keeps any vacant positions from being filled.
“We’re more pushed and strung out than we’ve ever been,” Jeff Barger, clerk of court, said this week.
At one point this summer with some staffers out for vacation and courts going full tilt, the office was down to two people in the clerk’s office on the civil side.
The clerk’s office, which operates under the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, has 40 positions on the books.
When the economy soured and state revenue fell, the state enacted a freeze on hiring in February.
Barger has had three people retire and two more find other jobs.
He has 35 employees ó the same number he had five years ago when the workload was lighter.
Statistics from the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts show growing caseloads in Rowan County courts.
In 2003-04, Rowan had 1,376 criminal cases filed in Superior Court, with 989 criminal cases still pending at the end of the year.
In 2008-09, Rowan had 2,582 criminal cases filed in Superior Court, with 3,224 pending at the end of the year.
The number of Superior Court criminal cases nearly doubled over that five-year period, while cases pending at the end of the year more than tripled.
“The workload has continued to go up. Criminal (court) has gone up, civil has gone up, everything has gone up,” Barger said one morning before heading to foreclosure hearings, which have become daily fare.
The situation is going to get worse. Another employee is set to retire in December, and Barber won’t be able to hire a replacement. And the state freeze doesn’t allow hiring of part-time workers to offset the loss.
In his 11th year as clerk, Barger said the staff is facing a growing challenge.
“It’s a big burden on the staff for people to pick up other people’s jobs and try to maintain service,” he said.
Barger recently attended a statewide clerks’ conference where the message offered little hope for improvement.
“They’re saying forge ahead and do the best you can with what you’ve got,” Barger said.
In addition to the freeze on hiring, all pay increases are frozen.
There is one bit of good news for Barger. “We haven’t had to let anybody go.”
Other branches of the local court system are also feeling the impact of the freeze.
Although the number of warrants and civil papers issued continues to grow, the county has fewer magistrates than in several years.
The county has had nine magistrates. Court officials opted not to reappoint Fred Moore for a four-year term and allowed him to retire earlier this year.
As a result of the freeze, the position has remained unfilled.
Schedules have been changed and stretched to staff the magistrate’s office 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and handle hundreds of cases in magistrate’s court.
Elizabeth Cook contributed to this story.