Feb. 6, 2009
Supreme Court Reduces Planned FY 2009 Spending by $1.5 Million
The Supreme Court announced today that it has achieved a projected $1.5 million reduction in spending for the current fiscal year as part of the Court’s overall effort to help reduce the budget deficit facing Ohio.
In addition to cutting spending for the current fiscal year, the Court has requested a 0 percent increase in its General Revenue Fund budget for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 when compared with the current budget for Fiscal Year 2009.
The latest reductions have been achieved through the elimination of five positions, reductions and changes in the use of visiting judges, renegotiation of major contracts, and other cost-reduction measures.
The voluntary reductions announced today are the latest in a series of steps the Court has taken to reduce its spending. Over the past four fiscal years, the Court has saved a total of more than $11 million through reduced budget appropriations and unspent moneys returned to the state treasury.
In 2008, Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer sent a letter to Gov. Ted Strickland voluntarily cutting the Supreme Court’s General Revenue Fund budget (not the Judiciary portion of the budget, most of which is statutorily mandated) by 5 percent in Fiscal Year 2008 and 5 percent in Fiscal Year 2009 from what was previously approved by the General Assembly. This was a reduction in spending authority of $1.5 million in Fiscal Year 2008 and $1.65 million in Fiscal Year 2009.
In addition, the Supreme Court/Judiciary turned back unspent moneys at the end of each of the past three fiscal years:
- Fiscal Year 2008: $1.8 million
- Fiscal Year 2007: $1.7 million
- Fiscal Year 2006: $3.3 million.
“We are continuing to review the budget to determine where we can reduce expenditures without affecting the quality of the administration of justice for all Ohioans,” said Chief Justice Moyer.
Moyer said a number of specific options are being considered for further reductions and cost savings, including but not limited to:
- Further reductions in Supreme Court staff through attrition.
- No pay increase for judges in 2009. Judges’ pay is set by statute. While the Chief Justice has long supported a significant judicial pay increase, he has announced that he will not seek nor support one this year because of the fiscal situation.
- Reductions in programming to local courts.
- Operational and building efficiencies, such as reduced energy use.
The Supreme Court and Judiciary general revenue budget for Fiscal Year 2009 is $139.9 million. This is approximately ½ of 1 percent of the total state general revenue budget and is the state’s entire share of the third branch of Ohio government.
More than 60 percent of the Supreme Court and Judiciary general revenue budget is nondiscretionary because it goes to pay judges’ salaries, which are set by statute. This portion of the budget cannot be reduced because the Ohio Constitution prohibits the diminishment of judges’ compensation.
Numbers released this week by the Office of Budget and Management compared the Court’s requested appropriations for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 with the Court’s projected actual spending for Fiscal Year 2009, including the $1.5 million reduction announced publicly today, rather than what was appropriated by the General Assembly and already reduced by $1.65 million this year. This created the appearance of a 1.1 percent increase in the Court’s General Revenue Fund budget request. In fact, as noted above, the Court has requested no increase in its General Revenue Fund budget for the next two fiscal years.
Contact: Chris Davey at 614.387.9250