Faced with few prospects for moving from a cramped location with security concerns, Magisterial District Judge James M. Dixon is seeking a new lease on his current location under an agreement that the owner will expand his space.
To address the security concerns as well as complaints from southern Luzerne County residents, county planners are also considering basing a deputy sheriff at the location to process concealed-carry permits for firearm owners.
The county issued a request for proposals last year seeking more space for the staff of Magisterial District Court 11-3-04, which works out of a roughly 1,300-square-foot office on Airport Road in Hazle Township. The court serves Hazle Township and West Hazleton, and is one of the busiest in the county, processing nearly 6,300 cases last year, Dixon said Wednesday.
The office has a waiting room with five chairs, although thousands of people cross its doors each month, he said. There is no way to separate defendants from witnesses or victims, and no space for lawyers to meet with their clients, he said.
"We've just completely outgrown it. It's inadequate for our needs at this point," Dixon said. "We have a little tiny room that's right off of our waiting room. Everybody is on top of each other. There is absolutely no privacy."
County solicitor David Pedri also noted during Tuesday's meeting of Luzerne County Council that the court's caseload will soon be increasing.
The magisterial district court in Freeland was scheduled to be eliminated in 2018, but will now be dissolved May 2 with the retirement of Magisterial District Judge Gerald Feissner. As a result, magistrates in southern Luzerne County will split that caseload, with Dixon assuming cases from Jeddo.
But with the caseload increasing, there have been few options for additional space as a result of the RFP, county solicitor David Pedri said.
"I received a bunch of phone calls regarding this, but there were not a lot of firm offers," Pedri told council Tuesday night.
One offer called for renting space for $4,800 per month including utilities, he said. In contrast, the court now pays $1,400 per month in rent.
But the owner of the building, Krishani LLC, has agreed to knock down a wall and expand the space to about 2,500 square feet, charging $3,700 per month including utilities.
The renovations will create a new facility with "state-of-the-art security" featuring bulletproof glass in the waiting room, safety glass in the holding cell and security cameras, Dixon said. The waiting room will be expanded to 18 seats, he said.
"My client is going to provide renovations that cost $93,000 in order to bring the facility up to the standards that (Judge) Dixon needs," attorney John Rodgers told council at the meeting. "So that's going to be amortized over the term of the lease. That's included in the rent. So it's a substantial investment on the part of my client."
Councilman Stephen A. Urban questioned how Dixon expects to pay for the expanded space.
"Are they going to come to us next year looking for more?" Urban asked, adding that he wants Dixon to present a plan for generating the required money for the next 10 years.
Dixon said the state will finance the security upgrades but said he couldn't comment on how the court administration would cover the increased rent. He noted, however, that an increased caseload brings increased revenue from fines.
Council sent the matter to the real estate committee for review. The move means it won't come to a vote until April 29, and the proposed lease starts May 1, Councilwoman Linda McCloskey Houck noted.
Pedri responded that the lease and construction timeline would likely have to be changed.
Should the plans move forward, county leadership is considering whether to base a deputy sheriff at the location to ease security concerns as well as increase convenience for Hazleton-area gun owners seeking concealed-carry permits, county Manager Robert Lawton said. They now must come to the county courthouse in Wilkes-Barre to apply.
"The presence of a deputy in the magistrate's office might tend to provide a higher level of security as well, so we'd have a synergy from those two activities," Lawton said.
Council Chairman Rick Morelli said the proposal makes sense - adding a deputy to provide such services wouldn't cost the county more because the officer would be based in the court office.
"We've heard many times about individuals from southern Luzerne County being upset about services being dropped," Morelli said. "We want to provide as much service as we can."
jhalpin@citizensvoice.com
570-821-2058, @cvjimhalpin