KENT — Instead of a plaintiff pleading his case to a judge, this time it was the judge who was pleading her case, to the Board of Selectmen.
Litchfield Probate Court Judge Diane Blick came to the selectmen’s March 3 meeting to ask for support in opposing Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s plan to consolidate probate courts. Two of the three selectmen pledged that support.
In January, Rell proposed a bill entitled “An Act Concerning Reform of the Probate Court System.†The bill, if passed by the state Legislature, would consolidate the state’s 117 probate courts into 36 probate courts corresponding with the state’s senatorial districts. Kent would be lumped into a Litchfield County district with the other 23 towns within Litchfield County.
According to “The Governor’s Budget Highlights†located on the governor’s Web site at ct.gov/governorrell/lib/governorrell/BudgetHighlights, the probate court system is facing a potential $5 million shortfall in 2011. The bill, if passed, would eliminate that shortfall.
It would also eliminate the jobs of 81 judges and 20 percent of the court’s non-judicial staff.
During the meeting, Blick asked for the board’s support against Rell’s proposal.
“If the bill passed, it would create too drastic of an effect on the court system,†Blick told the selectmen. “It would create courts that would be too unwieldy, where residents would not be able to get the attention they deserve.â€
Blick said Litchfield County currently has 12 courts, which would be reduced to six if the governor’s plan is approved.
“The judges I consulted with in our particular area are not in agreement as to how many [courts] there should be,†Blick said. “Some judges feel there should be two in our region and they should be located in Torrington and Winsted. Other judges feel that this would not be good for towns like Kent and Warren.â€
Blick said there are two options area judges are currently discussing: creating a central probate court in Torrington, or keeping the current Litchfield County court system as is, but adding a couple of smaller towns to the district, which could potentially save money for towns in the district.
“We would get swallowed up if we had a court in Torrington,†Selectman Bruce Adams said. “I think keeping the district as it is and adding smaller towns would work well.â€
First Selectman Ruth Epstein agreed with Adams.
“It has worked very well having you [Blick] here in Town Hall,†Epstein said. “The system has worked fine and I don’t see how adding a town would hinder us at all. It’s true, getting swallowed up into a bigger town would be disadvantageous for Kent residents. With the current system, residents have the ability to come right to Town Hall. A lot of them are elderly, so it would be hard for them to travel to Torrington.â€
Blick said the town of Harwinton has stepped forward to request being consolidated into the Litchfield Probate District.
The selectmen liked the idea and unanimously approved a motion made by Adams to support Harwinton joining the district. Adams also made a motion for the board to oppose any potential plans of the town joining a district headquartered in Torrington.
While Epstein voted for the motion, Selectman Vince LaFontan voted against the motion and said he needed more time to consider Rell’s plan.
“I have to think about this for awhile,†LaFontan said. “I don’t fully understand why the governor has proposed this in the first place. At this time I’m not fully prepared to go in either direction.â€
However, when pressed by the other two members of the board, asking if he was abstaining or voting no, LaFontan voted against the motion.
