Kentucky courts to be closed on Aug. 6

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Courthouses across Kentucky will be closed Aug. 6 for the first of three statewide furlough days for Kentucky's judicial branch.

This will be the first time since Kentucky's modern court system was formed in 1976 that the judicial branch must close courthouse doors to balance its budget, according to a news release.

The furloughs will affect only non-elected court personnel, who will be off work without pay as part of the 2013 budget reduction plan.

Courts that will be closed include: the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, Circuit Court, District Court, Offices of Circuit Court Clerk, the Administrative Office of the Courts and all court services, including Pretrial Services, Drug Court, the Court Designated Worker Program, Court Interpreting Services, the State Law Library and driver license branches.

In addition to the Aug. 6 furlough, courts will also be closed on Sept. 4 and Oct. 15.

The following is from a press release issued by the Administrative Office of the Courts:

"Furloughs are one of several measures included in the Judicial Branch's FY 2013 Budget Reduction Plan. The 2012 Kentucky General Assembly reduced the total funds available to the Judicial Branch by $25.2 million for FY 2013. This included a permanent reduction to the annual base operating budget of $16.2 million and a one-time transfer of $9 million in payroll to the state's general fund on June 30, 2012. Since the economic crisis began in 2008, the Judicial Branch has sustained repeated reductions to its budget and has cut 282 employees statewide, eliminated court programs and trimmed operating costs at all four levels of the court system to stay within its budget.

The Supreme Court and leadership from the Administrative Office of the Courts will meet in January 2013 to determine if additional furloughs and reductions are necessary for the remainder of FY 2013, which runs July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013. They will also begin drafting a budget reduction plan for FY 2014, which presents an even greater shortfall than in FY 2013."