The resignation of one of the two remaining court clerks in New Paltz has set up a crisis in justice. Stasha Dietz took a school district job, reportedly for better pay without working nights, and the justice court cannot function with only one clerk handling all of the administration. During the Hokanson administration there were three full-time clerks and a part-timer, but that was winnowed down to two long before Neil Bettez took the supervisor’s seat. New Paltz has the second-busiest court in the county, and the only busier one – Ulster — has six clerks.
Justice Jim Bacon met with council members in executive session during the January 5 meeting, after which it was agreed that Dietz would be paid $25 an hour without benefits to work through the end of February, by which time it’s hoped that the staffing situation will have been stabilized. For daytime tasks, court officer Adrienne Asencio will pitch in at $22 per hour during this transitional period. Advertising for court clerk will include a pay range of $17-22 an hour.
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