Habersham County’s decision to consolidate magistrate and superior court clerk staffs is paying off for taxpayers. Chief Magistrate Gerald Johnson says the move already has saved the county tens of thousands of dollars. But it didn’t come without a price. Two employees lost their jobs.
Clerk of Court David Wall says five magistrate employees were shifted into his office. Three were absorbed into existing operations while two were let go. He says Kathy Ponder was a full-time receptionist who had worked in the magistrate’s office for 11 years. She was laid off along with Nancy Ayers, a part-time contract employee. Wall says Ponder’s position was eliminated because his office already has a receptionist. He says Ayers was near the end of her contract and the work she was doing – scanning documents to create digital images – was nearly complete.
The Habersham County Commission passed a resolution earlier this year mandating court staff consolidation to eliminate duplication of services. Commissioner Andrea Harper says it’s unfortunate jobs were lost but says she’s pleased the move is saving taxpayers money. Clerk of Court David Wall agrees, “I think in many ways it’s beneficial. Beneficial in the sense of being a little more conservative, a little more responsible financially, because we did have duplication of services.” Magistrate Judge Gerald Johnson says he, too, supports the move. “I’m certainly not in a position to take credit for that but by consolidating services into one umbrella under David we were able to streamline the system.”
Johnson says another positive effect of the move is that it allows the former Deputy Clerk of Magistrate Court Kim Campbell to focus more on her duties as Associate Magistrate Judge. She trades off on-call with the chief magistrate.
The layoffs, along with Judge Johnson’s decision to remove the Chief Marshal from his office and place the position under the control of the Sheriff’s Office, have so far saved the county $29,000. Johnson says that figure does take into account his recent request to hire an administrative assistant.
Johnson, who was appointed to succeed former Magistrate Judge Jim Butterworth after he resigned earlier this year, says he and Wall are looking for more ways to save money. That includes exploring options to consolidate software. Magistrate court uses a different system than state and superior courts. Wall says if they’re able to switch to a single provider it could save the county an additional $300 per month or more.
The Habersham County Clerk of Court’s office now oversees operations for three of Habersham’s five courts – superior, state and magistrate. Juvenile and probate courts remain separate. Wall receives a monthly stipend of $600 ($300 each) for overseeing state and magistrate courts in addition to performing his regular elected Constitutional duties as Clerk of Superior Court.
