Committee hears debate over HB 1534 to add fourth Chatham County state court judge; no vote taken

Representative Westbrook told the Intergovernmental Coordination meeting that House Bill 1534 is a local bill to add a fourth state court judge in Chatham County, citing a workload study by Chief State Court Judge Greg Sapp that, she said, found the additional judge was needed. "This is House Bill 15 34. This is a local bill to add a fourth state court judge in Chatham County," Representative Westbrook said, noting the bill was drafted with legislative council and had broad support from the local House delegation.

Westbrook said the House version initially preserved an elected judgeship, with an election slated for May 2028 and a term to begin in January 2029. "Under that time frame... the county is funding it as of January 2029," she said. The committee heard that the Senate27s substitute changed the selection method to an appointment and moved the county27s funding obligation earlier. "The Senate substitute would have the county funding it in January 2027," Westbrook said, a change she and some stakeholders had not expected.

The mayor addressed the committee and urged urgency, saying the county is "desperately in need of a judge at this time," and asked for more consistent coordination among governmental partners. Representative Geisler questioned whether accelerating the funding timetable could place Chatham County in a budgetary bind, and asked whether senators who offered the substitute explained why they accelerated the timeline; Westbrook said she had not been given a reason by the senators.

Committee members sought clarity about trade-offs between faster access to judicial resources and the county27s need for budget predictability. Westbrook acknowledged the benefit of moving cases through the system faster but repeated that county leaders had requested a budget presentation to understand the fiscal impact of the earlier funding start date.

The committee did not take a vote on the bill; the chair said committee action would be decided on the House floor and adjourned the meeting. The committee asked staff to note county concerns and the request for a budget presentation as the matter moves forward.