Jury duty proving costly in Knox County

GALESBURG, Ill. (AP) - Knox County has already spent more in 2016 to pay jurors than it budgeted for the entire year.

The (Galesburg) Register-Mail (http://bit.ly/1Tr9sen ) reports that $23,050 has been spent for the fiscal year that began Dec. 1 - or $3,050 more than the $20,000 that had been allotted for jury duty for the year.

County officials blame the jury duty spending spree on a state law that went into effect last June that forced them to increase payment to jurors from $15 a day plus mileage to $25 a day for the first day and $50 for each additional day.

Knox County's finance committee last week allocated another $20,000 to the jurors' fund and Board Chairman Brian Friedrich says he hopes it's enough money to cover the rest of the year.