A Sawyer County circuit court judge updated the Public Safety Committee on several court-administration items, including recovery court graduations, efforts to reconstitute a condemnation commission and work to modernize local court rules.

The judge told the committee, "Recovery court is going really well. We've got, 1, individual who is set to graduate the program in July and then potentially another 1 who could be graduating by the end, of the summer." The judge also said one participant had been terminated from the program.

The judge said county court staff and judges are working to revive a condemnation commission that, according to court notes, had been disbanded in 2019. "We need we're doing a condemnation commission. It's per statute that we need to have 1," the judge said, and added clerks and county staff are assisting with the process.

Court leadership is also revising local court rules to address Zoom appearances, warrant processes and to make procedures more uniform between the county's two court branches. "We're kind of working through that, and it is a process. It's a lengthy process," the judge said.

The judge described broader use of remote appearances to address attorney shortages and reduce travel costs, saying the district has allowed attorneys and experts to appear by Zoom when clients consent. "As long as your client's okay with it, you can appear via Zoom because we need you," the judge said, and added that using Zoom saved "the county over $80,000" in one large trial by allowing experts and attorneys to appear remotely.

District-level discussion of night court also remains on the table, the judge said, describing the idea as offering evening or weekend sessions "a couple of times a month" to allow people with employment constraints to appear without taking time off. The judge said details are preliminary and that there may be pushback but the option is under consideration.

Committee members asked no follow-up questions during the report. The judge closed noting case filings and monthly numbers are updated at the end of each month and that filings currently show the court is "putting out more cases than we're getting in."