Ozaukee County jurors more generous than ever

Ozaukee County Circuit Court jurors aren’t paid much for their service, but they can have a big fiscal impact for local nonprofit groups.

Through the Clerk of Courts’ Generous Juror program, jurors donated $5,651 last year to the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, which flies veterans to Washington D.C. for one day to visit their memorials.

“It was the most we’ve ever raised,” Clerk of Courts Connie Mueller said.

The program began in 2010 but was put on hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Mueller revived the program in 2024.

Past recipients have included Advocates of Ozaukee, the Ozaukee County Jail Literacy Program and Ozaukee National Alliance of Mental Illness.

The county Public Safety Committee recently approved Mueller’s proposal to make Heaven’s Gait Ranch the program’s recipient for 2026.

The ranch is located in Cedar Grove and offers therapy to veterans, individuals with special needs or disabilities living in the region and their caregivers through caring for and riding horses.

Mueller told committee members that she will ask that the funds be used to serve Ozaukee County residents.

Jurors are paid $25 for half a day and $50 for a full day, plus mileage, the same rate that has been paid for many years.

Over the years, about 30% of jurors donate, said Mueller, who was elected in 2022, succeeding Mary Lou Mueller.

When jurors attend their orientation, Mueller and her staff explain the program and have an information table set up to give details on the charity.

“Honor Flight was really popular,” she said.

Most nonprofit groups and their supporters are unaware of the program so Mueller gets few nominations.

“I wish I did get more,” she said.

So she does her own research and tries to focus on causes that county government prioritizes.

“We try to do a different organization every year,” she said.

The county Human Services office uses Heaven’s Gait to serve some of its clients, she said.

Improving mental health has increasingly become a priority in the county.

For instance, nearly two-thirds of Ozaukee County jail inmates have been diagnosed with a mental disorder, officials say.

On Tuesday, Sheriff Christy Knowles told committee members the jail employs counselors to help inmates.

The county also has created a second co-responder team, consisting of a deputy and social worker, to deal with crisis situations that arise due to mental health or drug use issues.

The Human Services office is currently setting up a day treatment office in the county Administration Center to give people somewhere to go other than a hospital emergency department to get treatment. Officials hope it will lighten the burden placed on hospitals and law enforcement by those situations.

For more information on Heaven’s Gait Ranch, visit heavensgaitranch.org.