ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
With a decline in residents returning jury questionnaires and showing up for jury duty, officials with Seward County District Court have been looking for ways to reverse these trends.
As part of this, county commissioners recently approved an increase in pay for jurors called for duty and those chosen to preside over the decisions made in trials.
Local jurors who sign in will be paid $30 a day, and those chosen for service will get $50 a day, both up from the $10 a day rate formerly paid to all jurors.
That wage officially took effect June 23, and District Court Clerk Donna Odneal said the former rate had been in place since at least 1996. She said she and Chief Judge Clint Peterson requested the increase to help people get more motivated to serve on juries.
“Rarely do people get excited when they are called for jury duty,” Odneal said. “Most feel it is an inconvenience, but it is a citizen’s civic duty. We the court want to make sure the jurors know how much they are appreciated, as I’m sure you do. We feel increasing the amount the jurors are paid will help.”
Odneal too requested a special check for a trial that started June 24 to allow jurors to get the new increased amount.
“The jury trial is scheduled for four days, and I have called up 96 people,” she said. “I have on hand the $3,000 cash, but I will need an additional $2,480 to make sure there’s enough to pay all the people who sign in, plus all the people who serve.”
Commission Chairman Scott Carr asked how many jury trials District Court handles in the course of a year. Odneal estimated about six to seven a year.
Carr likewise asked if the money for the increase was in the court’s budget. Odneal said she has increased her budget.
Carr went on to suggest an increase to the rate be made annually, but Odneal said state statute dictates the rate cannot go above $50 a day.
Commissioner Presephoni Fuller asked if locals were aware of the seriousness of showing up for jury duty.
“All of those listening to us tonight, please show up and do your duty,” she said. “Consider your loved one is on trial for something they did not do, and they can’t find enough people to sit there and to listen and to make good judgments. Please consider. Don’t turn it aside. Don’t throw it in the trash.”
Commissioner Steve Helm made the motion to approve the increase to $30 a day for all jurors and $50 a day for those chosen to serve on jury duty and to have a special check cut for $2,480 to cover the cost of jurors for the June 24 trial. Fuller seconded the motion, and the commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.
