Jury pay donations rise this year in Bell County

The Killeen Daily Herald 
September 25, 2022 at 12:37AM
 

BELTON — A return to jury trials in Bell County — after months away due to COVID-19 — will mean increased support for local programs and nonprofits.

County officials have reported a renewed number of jury donations this year, following a steep decrease in 2020 and 2021 when courts were closed or limited during the pandemic. These donations are from selected and unselected jury members who give up their daily pay to one of a few selected options.

Due to the pandemic, donations in the county dropped from $3,971 in 2019 to $1,685 in 2020 and only $700 in 2021.

So far this year, donations have increased greatly — raising $6,372 for the four current selections offered by the county.

That number soon could be increased by one as the Commissioners Court decides Monday if it will allow the Bell and Coryell County branch of the Texas Court Appointed Special Advocates to become a new selection for donations.

County Judge David Blackburn said the court had to weigh the financial impact of adding another option for jurors.

“Are we enhancing that service by providing choices for people to donate to, or are we simply dividing the pie up and all the agencies end up getting less money because it is split up more?” Blackburn said.

Officials said jurors currently can donate their pay to the Bell County Veterans Treatment Court, Bell County Crime Victim Coalition, Bell County Child Welfare Board for Foster Children and the Texas Crime Victims Compensation Program.

At the local level, Texas CASA helps train and recruit court-appointed special advocates who help children navigate the child welfare system. Members of the organization also work to improve the well-being of the children under their supervision.

State law allows for jurors to decide what portion of their pay goes to which, if any, charities after they serve. Jurors fill out forms for the donations.

In Bell County, those that are not selected to serve on a jury are paid $6 a day for their service, while those who are selected to serve on a jury receive $40 a day.

Commissioner Bill Schumann said he was concerned about what would happen if the court continued to add more options every time an organization made a request.

The result of too many options, Schumann said, could be a large reduction in the amount of money going to any one program or organization.

“I know that with the child welfare board, even with the big increase this year, we have still had to have fundraisers to fund all the child seats, play pens, beds, clothes and everything else for the kids,” Schumann said. “So if we get another organization that directly competes, even though they meet the statutory qualifications, are we prepared to say no to them?”

Officials said that, while the funds generated through the donations don’t account for a large part of each organization’s budget, they do help with some expenses.

Despite his concerns, Schumann said he was in favor of adding CASA to the list of options because it filled a hole in the existing choices.

Blackburn agreed with Schumann and said there also was a possibility that adding the new organization to the list would prompt others to donate their compensation instead of keeping it.

“I think it adds a program delivery area that we don’t have, and I just have a general (preference) towards giving folks more choices,” Blackburn said. “That may have some incremental effect on the other agencies, but I don’t know if it will be significant.”

Commissioners are expected to vote on the item at their 9 a.m. meeting Monday at the Bell County Courthouse, 101 E. Central Ave. in Belton.