Judge Kurtz asks grievance committee for pay increase after years of denied requests

Judge Kurtz asked a county salary grievance committee on the record to increase her elected pay, citing rising workload and a long history of denied requests. "I asked for a salary adjustment of $10,000," she said, and later described an amended figure near $16,000 while urging the panel to use the comparative packet she distributed. She framed the request as an effort to align her compensation with other elected officials rather than as a cost‑of‑living adjustment.

Kurtz described the duties that drive her request — criminal and civil dockets, juvenile diversion and magistration — and told members her office handles significant cash flows and confidential matters. "We bring in close to $300,000 a year," she said, adding that her office now faces higher jurisdictional limits and a larger volume of debt‑claim cases after statewide changes. Supporters in the room noted those workload realities and urged fair treatment.

Committee members questioned the size and method of any raise, pressing whether revenue is an appropriate metric and whether a large one‑time increase would be equitable across elected offices. The panel discussed incremental fixes versus a single sizable adjustment and reviewed how stipends — for juvenile duties, for example — can affect posted salaries. The group prepared to take written ballots and poll voters, but the transcript ends before any vote tally was recorded.