CIRCUIT CHANGE EXHIBITS WISE AND JUDICIOUS MOVE

Perry County will officially join Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties Wednesday in the 32nd Judicial Circuit. The move won't happen with a lot of fanfare. But this change represents a prudent move which should expedite justice in Perry County, and ultimately save taxpayer dollars. Cape Girardeau County circuit judges A.J. Seier and Stephen Limbaugh Jr. deserve praise for offering to take on the added work.

The 24th Circuit had become overburdened in recent years with the opening of prisons in Potosi and Farmington. In addition to Perry County, the 24th Circuit included Madison, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, and Washington Counties. A court backlog had delayed some cases up to several years.

Circuit judges in the 32nd Circuit began handling the Perry County docket last November under a special assignment by Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Blackmar. Efficiencies in the local circuit allowed judges Seier and Limbaugh to handle the Perry County cases without much additional burden. In fact, local judges have already been able to eliminate the backlog in Perry County without affecting the dispatch of justice here.

Without the move to the 32nd Circuit, the state would have been forced to appoint another judge to handle the overload in the 24th Circuit. And that would have been a costly solution. This move brings a caseload equity to the two circuits with economic efficiency.

It's a noteworthy example of making government work more effectively - with fewer tax dollars expended. Government officials everywhere should take note.

The change only affects Division I and II cases. Other circuit cases will continue to be handled by Michael Bullerdieck, associate judge in Perry County. But the change will also provide added flexibility to the circuit. Now, when the need arises, Bullerdieck could be appointed to handle cases from Cape or Bollinger counties.

The three counties in the circuit will continue to operate independent circuit clerk offices.

The unification will also assist the local circuit in operating costs of the juvenile office. After the end of the year, the Perry County juvenile officer will be assigned to the 32nd Circuit and utilize the detention facility in Cape Girardeau as opposed to Farmington.

This change will also allow more efficiencies. The Cape facility has the capacity to handle more youths, and detention officers have to be on duty, regardless of whether there are youths in custody or not. Perry County will also help pay the costs of the local detention center, as they now do with Farmington. Currently, Cape County pays 85 percent of the juvenile budget, with Bollinger County picking up the rest. With the addition of Perry County, Cape County's share will likely fall to 70 percent.

This court change is a matter of numbers, and it makes financial sense. Accelerating justice with fiscal responsibility will benefit the entire judicial circuit.