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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
2004 PRIORITIES: The FY 2004 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 ($358,921, 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 ($2,047,506, 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 2002
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FY 2003
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FY 2004
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% Change:
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Actual
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Adopted
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Proposed
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'03 to '04
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Personnel
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$1,792,171
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$1,865,366
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$1,926,981
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3%
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Non-Personnel
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435,838
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468,675
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479,446
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2%
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Total Expenditures
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2,228,009
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2,334,041
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2,406,427
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3%
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Fees
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4,088,652
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3,313,589
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3,696,351
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12%
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Grants
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782,749
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900,000
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800,000
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-11%
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Total Revenues
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4,871,401
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4,213,589
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4,496,351
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7%
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Net Tax Support
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($2,643,392)
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($1,879,548)
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($2,089,924)
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-11%
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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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Frozen
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-
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-
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-
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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 2004
proposed budget for the Circuit Court is $2,406,427, a three percent increase
over FY 2003.
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Expenditures reflect no significant changes.
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Revenues increased mainly due to increases in
Recordation Tax ($244,887), Fines ($60,000),
Excess Fees* ($150,000) and increased Falls Church billings ($19,232) which
are partially offset by a decrease in State Salary Reimbursement ($85,897) and
the elimination of the technology trust grant from the state ($100,000).
*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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FY
2001
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FY 2002
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FY 2003
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FY
2004
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FY
2004
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Actual
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Actual
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Estimate
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Estimate
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Target
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Mission Outcome Measures
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Civil cases adjudicated
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1,533
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1,587
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1,650
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1,700
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1,700
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Civil cases jury days
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81
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82
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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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2,432
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3,128
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3,300
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3,300
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3,300
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Criminal cases jury days
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117
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132
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132
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130
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130
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Objective: Efficient processing of court cases and
filings
Workload Measures
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FY
2001
Actual
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FY 2002
Actual
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FY 2003
Estimate
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FY
2004
Estimate
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FY
2004
Target
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Civil cases filed
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1,867
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1,727
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2,100
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2,300
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2,300
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Criminal cases filed
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2,836
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3,229
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3,300
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3,500
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3,500
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Deeds recorded
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40,438
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60,415
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50,000
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45,000
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45,000
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