Hopatcong Gets More Money for Shared Court

Stanhope has agreed to increase Hopatcong's compensation for running a shared municipal court in the borough.

Stanhope will pay Hopatcong $80,000 in 2012 to host its hearings at the , up $20,000 from the initial agreement. In 2013 and 2014, Stanhope will give the brough $85,000.

Hopatcong Administrator Robert Elia said the workflow of the combined courts has forced staff and Judge William Bowkley to work later than usual. The pay increase will allow Hopatcong to give part-time court clerks extra hours, Elia said.

The towns .

"The activity has really increased," Elia said. "The courts are really busy. They're here until midnight sometimes. What I really needed was more revenue from Stanhope so I could give our staff more hours."

Elia said most of Hopatcong's part-time court staffers currently work about 20 hours a week.

"So say they work eight hours on a court night," Elia said. "Then they're limited to just 12 the rest of the week."

The shared-court deal has been "a fair agreement and benefits both communities," Stanhope Administrator Brian McNeely said.

"We've gone through the whole process," he said. "We've got a few months under our belts. There is a realization that there is a need for more hours. So an adjustment of the agreement was appropriate."

An earlier version of this article said Stanhope paid Hopatcong an incorrect amount a year to host a shared court.