SE. Minn. courts cut back on customer service due to tight budget
Eds: APNewsNows; Adds lists of closures in other counties at end.
WINONA, Minn. (AP) — No one will answer the telephone at the Winona County court administrator’s office on Wednesday mornings, and don’t bother going to the counter.
The customer service counter at the courthouse will be closed Wednesday mornings as part of budget cuts in the 3rd Judicial District that went into effect this month.
The Winona County attorney’s office says telephone calls to the office will go unanswered between 8:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hours will be reduced in all 11 counties of the southeastern Minnesota judicial district, although not all will be closed on Wednesdays.
The cuts were prompted by a projected $300,000 budget deficit in the judicial district for the current fiscal year ending June 30th.
Although hours will be reduced for court administration, actual court hearings and should not be affected.
More specifically, the 3rd Judicial District says the morning closures will be:
— Tuesdays in Freeborn and Houston counties
— Wednesdays in Winona, Mower and Olmsted counties
— Thursdays in Fillmore, Steele and Waseca counties
— Fridays in Dodge and Rice counties
ADVERTISEMENT
———
Information from: Darryl Smelser/KAGE-AM, http://www.winonaradio.com
