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Judge to hear request by court
Published: December 25, 2009
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share thisSUNBURY - A judge from Clinton County will conduct a hearing Monday morning to determine if an injunction will be imposed to prevent the Northumberland County commissioners from cutting the court budget by $550,000 in 2010 until a lawsuit is ruled on.
Northumberland County Deputy Court Administrator Kevin O'Hearn said the hearing will be conducted by Judge Michael Williamson at 11 a.m. in Courtroom No. 1.
The legal proceeding will be held in connection with a lawsuit filed by Northumberland County President Judge Robert B. Sacavage against county Commissioners Kurt Masser, Vinny Clausi and Frank Sawicki. In his suit, Sacavage seeks to "compel" the commissioners to "adequately fund court operations for 2010."
The suit was filed after nearly a year's worth of battling over court budgets.
At the heart of the matter is $550,000 cut from the court's tentative 2010 budget that - in addition to $400,000 in cuts in the 2009 court budget - "would completely eviscerate the function of efficient justice" in Northumberland County, according to the lawsuit.
It's been a contentious year between the two branches of county government. The commissioners have been trying to trim county departments in the lean economic times.
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