Clayton sees profit in hiring another judge

Clayton County commissioners are looking at a new way to help the county’s struggling budget: charge more traffic and court fines.

The commission is researching the financial impact of adding a fifth State Court judge.

“I look at it as a money-maker,” Commissioner Michael Edmondson said.

A fifth judge would allow more cases to be processed, bringing in additional revenue from court fees, traffic tickets and misdemeanor fines, Edmondson said.

An analysis by the State Court shows the additional judge would cost the county $643,719 in salaries for the judge, clerks and deputies. However, the five judges could collect up to $3.5 million in fines.

That leaves $2.8 million in profit for the county, court officials said.

Edmondson said the additional judge would help generate revenue for the county just like red-light cameras, which capture drivers speeding through red lights and then issue traffic citations.

Last year, the county generated $1.5 million from its two red-light cameras, Clayton Police Chief Jeffrey Turner said.

Turner said the red-light cameras are placed at the most dangerous intersections — Mount Zion Road/Mount Zion Boulevard and Tara Boulevard/Upper Riverdale Road — to curtail crashes, not to generate revenue.

“Economic development is the way out of our budget problems, not taking advantage of folks,” County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell added.

Commissioner Wole Ralph said the additional judge is needed to help process a backlog of cases, but he wants to make sure the county can fully staff the judge’s office.

An analysis by State Court shows that Clayton’s four judges do the work normally assigned to 9.5 judges. In 2008, the four judges handled 58,029 cases, a 11 percent increase from the 52,127 cases processed in 2007.

State Court officials said the additional judge will not only help with case loads, but will help victims and suspects get through the process quicker and free up jail beds.

The commission will decide next week to ask the legislature for the additional judge.