Judge Jason Aslinger Cuts 6.6% from Budget

Darke County Probate/Juvenile Judge Jason Aslinger recently submitted the Court’s preliminary 2012 budget to the Darke County Commissioners. The proposed budget cuts expenditures from $2,075,608 to $1,938,767, a reduction of $133,841 (or 6.6%) from 2011 to 2012. The Commissioners approved the preliminary budget.

One significant cut was achieved by not replacing a probation officer who resigned and moved to another community. The Court also changed its contract with the West Central Detention Facility to eliminate excess services which were not being fully used. Other reductions occurred as a result of changes with personnel and benefits.

Judge Aslinger commented that the goal was to find the best and most efficient use of the taxpayers' dollars while maintaining the effectiveness of the Court.

The Probate/Juvenile Court receives its funding from the county and the Department of Youth Services (DYS). A portion of the budget cuts were imposed as the DYS grant was significantly reduced from the last fiscal year. “We were able to deal with the loss in the DYS grant and still make significant reductions in the county’s portion of the budget as well,” Judge Aslinger said. “We will continue to seek areas where efficiencies can be found.”

The Court’s budget funds operations of the Probate Court, the Juvenile Court, the Juvenile Probation Department, and the Michael’s Resource Treatment Center (a residential facility with capacity to house up to ten teenage boys). Twenty-four employees are currently paid through the Probate/Juvenile Court budget.