Pinal court's backlog blamed on pandemic

Board member Steve Miller, R-Casa Grande, asked how far behind the courts are. Courts Administrator Todd Zweig couldn’t provide exact numbers Wednesday but said the courts are behind because of not being able to have jury trials for such a long time. County Attorney Kent Volkmer said it’s still hard to seat juries because so many people report being exposed to COVID.

Volkmer said his office saw a 10% increase in felony filings, or more than 200 additional cases, in 2020. At the same time, the number of trials went down by 60%. The goal is a “case-in case-out model,” or a case resolved for every new case filed, he said.

Volkmer continued that his office normally has 700 open cases at any given time but is currently at 1,000.

Miller said the board has approved these grants in the past, but the positions never go away. If the county needs more judges, “why don’t we reach out to the (Arizona) Supreme Court and get some more divisions?” Miller asked. “… I would like to know where the end is.”

Commissioners fulfill many of the duties of Superior Court judges.

Zweig said he would return with further information at the board’s Jan. 19 meeting.

Vice Chairman Jeff Serdy, R-Apache Junction, asked about ARPA funding for other needs. He said citizens are still asking him about this money, who is eligible and when they’ll receive it. He said Superstition Fire & Medical District suffered financially in the first year of the pandemic “and they’re still looking for relief. When will they get relief and what all is going on with these funds?”

County Manager Leo Lew replied that the final rule and clarification on how the county’s ARPA funds may be used should be coming out from the federal government “at any time.”

Also Wednesday, the board approved “front-loaded” sick leave for county employees of up to 104 hours in the new year to assist them in the pandemic and help ensure workplaces remain safe. The board approved similar measures in the previous two calendar years.