Kansas City, Mo ? Presiding Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jay A. Daugherty is seeking changes in Kansas City Municipal Court operations after a newspaper reported that the court’s full-time judges average less than 30 hours per week in the courthouse.

Daugherty said Wednesday that he has expressed concerns to Presiding Municipal Court Judge John Williams “about the public perception and made suggestions on things they should do.”

Daugherty, who declined to discuss the suggestions, said Williams assured him the municipal judges would address the situation.

Williams declined to detail what specific actions he planned to take as a result of his conversation with Daugherty.

“It’s too early for any specifics,” Williams said. “At a minimum, I need an opportunity to talk with my colleagues, the City Council, other circuit judges and members of the bar.”

Daugherty said he would monitor the Municipal Court’s progress.

“I would expect we would have continuing discussions about the situation in Kansas City’s Municipal Court,” Daugherty said.

The Kansas City Star reported Sunday that two Kansas City Municipal Court judges averaged as little as 24 hours a week. The longest average work week was 32 hours.

The newspaper based its analysis on parking records, which showed when judges entered and left the courthouse garage, as well as other court documents, including caseloads, docket schedules, and the days judges were off.

Daugherty said that circuit court judges in Jackson County spent longer than 30 hours a week at their courthouse offices.

“It would raise flags,” he said, if they spent less time there.

The Municipal Court is a division of the state’s 16th Circuit Court in Jackson County, over which Daugherty presides. City money pays for the Municipal Court’s operations, including the judges’ salaries, which are now the highest in the state except for the Missouri Supreme Court.

Clerks in Jackson County’s Circuit Court, which Daugherty said was the state’s busiest, told him this week that they were concerned that the newspaper’s report would leave the impression that government employees did not work hard.

“That’s the most upsetting thing for us,” Daugherty said. “That (the municipal judges’) conduct is something that reflects poorly on our court, where our employees believe they work very, very hard. … That’s a frustrating thing for the entire court system.”

However, Daugherty said the quality of justice at Municipal Court had not been questioned.

“I haven’t had any reports that indicate a pattern of poor decision-making,” he said.