Consolidation continues to work its way through all departments

It probably came as a surprise to many — particularly those who have worked in or had dealings with the city’s Municipal Court. That’s the operation that handles minor traffic citations and ordinance violations. But with consolidation, things change and in almost every corner of the way government delivers services things have changed and may soon change for the municipal and state courts.

Where there were 15 City Council members and a mayor and five county commissioners for a total of 21, there are now only 10, including the mayor. The separate police department and Sheriff’s Office is now one.

Through all of this, the county has been able to meet the legislated mandate of cutting its budget by 20 percent over a five-year period, but in order to do that, some pretty drastic measures were taken. The doors to early retirement were opened wide and 235 Macon-Bibb employees walked through the portal.

Now, the mayor and commission are looking to tighten the belt even further by combining the work of two courts into one. While the decision to allow State Court to take on the duties of Municipal Court ultimately has to be approved by the General Assembly, how that would work is a local responsibility.

State Court handles civil cases and the more serious traffic offenses and misdemeanor cases. Bobby Faulkner, the lone full-time Municipal Court judge, was neither for it or against it and said he hadn’t studied the proposal yet, but did say, “It’s a big deal. There are a lot of people that could lose their jobs.”

That may or may not be the case. Could the present State Court support staff handle the almost 16,600 cases dealt with by the Municipal Court in 2014 in addition to its own caseload? State Court Judge Bill Adams understands and has proposed an appointed part-time judge and three clerk positions, now with Municipal Court, moved to State Court.

There are other savings that are more one time in nature. But here’s the fact about consolidations. They are undertaken to save money and to streamline operations, but that usually means fewer people. Consolidations have to be thought through thoroughly. While a smooth running operation is ideal, having one that’s constantly stressed because there aren’t enough people to do the work burns through staff. Here’s a suggestion. While the judges from the two courts convene over a possible merger, it would be a smart to include some of the worker bees in the discussions. They are the ones who really know how the courts operate.

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Consolidation continues to work its way through all departments."