REQUEST TO ASSESS NEW ADULT ADOPTION FEES - BOS (FINAL).PDF

JUDICIAL BRANCH OF ARIZONA
Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County
Date: August 6, 2014
RE: Request to Assess New Adult Adoption Fees
Several years ago adult adoption case processing was transferred from Juvenile Court to Probate and
Mental Health Court. When this change in responsibility occurred, the Probate and Mental Health Court
continued the practice of assessing a $150 filing fee and $150 investigation fee. This fee was assessed in order
to recoup expenses billed by outside contractor services that performed the adult adoption case processing.
Since statutory authority for these assessments could not be identified, the Clerk of Court discontinued
accepting these fees for adult adoption cases on November 1, 2013.
Probate and Mental Health Court is now seeking to have the Board of Supervisors approve the
assessment of a $140 filing fee and a $140 investigation fee ($280 total per case) for adult adoption cases. The
assessment will recoup the expense of providing the service for which the fee is assessed. As noted in table
below, as part of processing these case types, there is a substantial amount of staff time dedicated to
conducting the investigation and drafting the report mandated by A.R.S. § 14-8101(D).
From FY2010 through FY2013, there was an average of 30 adult adoption cases filed with the Court
annually. It is projected that this trend will continue over the next several years. These fees, therefore, will
generate approximately $8,400 in revenue. Monies collected will offset expenses for personal services costs.
This fee does not require approval from the Arizona Supreme Court Administrative Office of Courts.
The assessment of the fee would commence following BOS approval of the fee. The Court is seeking for the fee
to be deposited into a special revenue fund that will be determined by the Judicial Branch Finance
Department. The proposed fee is intended to recover (but not exceed) the full cost of the service. Parties may
request a waiver or deferral of fees using the established process.
Average Rate
FY2015 budget rates Investigator Staff Judicial Officer Total
Hourly Rate $23.30 $18.40 $62.74
Salary @ 2080 hrs $48,464 $38,272 $130,499 $217,235
Variable Rate 0.1931 0.1931 0.2501
Variable Amount $9,358 $7,390 $32,638 $49,387
Fixed Amount $8,904 $8,904 $8,904 $26,712
Total Salary/Benefits $66,726 $54,566 $172,041 $293,334
Total Salary/Benefits per hour $32.08 $26.23 $82.71
# hours per case 3.00 2.75 0.75 6.50
Total hours worked on 30 annual cases 90.0 82.5 40.5 213.00
Salary/Benefits cost of processing 30 cases $2,887 $2,164 $3,350 $8,401
Cost of processing "1" case ($8,401 / 30 cases) $280.04