Kaufman County is broke and the pols are scrambling to find a solution to balance the budget. The County Commissioners are channeling 80’s Madonna, and adding two weeks of new “Holidays” for 2010, in which the courthouse will be closed.
Advice to future Kaufman criminal/family clients.
Don’t plan on getting arrested the week before Christmas. The court’s closed so you’re screwed if you can’t make bail. Hit that bong in Dallas, and get a designated driver back from the company Christmas party. Santa doesn’t visit the Kaufman jail.
Same for divorces. Better work it out until after the presents are opened. Otherwise, you could be living with your future ex for an extra week waiting on a temporary orders hearing.
Here is a list of the “Courthouse Holidays” for 2010.
Veteran’s Day- November 11-12
Thanksgiving- November 24,25,26
Xmas- December 20-24
New Years- December 31 and January 3.
If I had a vote on how to cut costs….
I’m not sure the total cost, but the security theater at the Kaufman County Courthouse can’t be cheap. For the past 100 years or so the Kaufman courthouse has operated without a metal detector or airport style x ray scanner at the entrance.
For some reason, this year we needed all this equipment manned by a two man crew from the Sheriff’s department, or the terrorists win. Worse, the local lawyers, bail bondmen, process servers etc, who go in and out a few dozen times a week, have no way to skip this process.
Every time I come to court I’m wanded like a guy who just bought a one way ticket to NYC and paid in cash. It’s a waste of resources to screen the regulars.
Who gets a pass through this security theater time waste? Government employees. Nice.
That’s right. If you work for the county you can skip this crap. But for the private sector employees there’s no way to get such a privilege.
Why discriminate against those who pay the taxes that keep a courthouse running? Surely a process could be implemented where the Sheriff approves non county employees to skip the the morning radiation ritual.
Maybe a more efficient “safety” screen wouldn’t balance the budget, but every bit helps right?