BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Baldwin County Circuit Judge James Reid said Monday he must get a key to understand a controversial, docket management report compiled by District Attorney-elect Hallie Dixon to guide resource allocations after she takes office in January.

Reid said Dixon’s report was generated from computer runs of all caseloads and contains docket analysis of Circuit judges Charles Partin and Lang Floyd.

“At some point, I will meet with her and she will give me the key,” Reid said. “The important thing is that Hallie knows what is in the report so she can handle the different dockets.”

Reid said he formulated the contract to assist Dixon’s acclimation during the transition period. He also said he initiated the contract due to District Attorney Judy Newcomb’s refusal to provide an interim position for Dixon to prepare for office.

Newcomb called the contract “a sham,” while Circuit Judge Robert Wilters said the contract was “not ethical” and “a way to give her money without doing any work.”

Dixon resigned Aug. 31 from the pact after receiving about $10,000 and stated the contract was “unfairly described” and “created an impression of scandal through the media.” She said she will continue to work on the project without pay.

“Hallie takes office in January and will immediately be hit with personnel and budgetary issues,” Reid said. “The contract was to allow for strategic planning. To me, it’s a missed opportunity.”

The submitted report is comprised of a breakdown of current circuit court dockets for judges Reid, Partin and Floyd consisting of tables and charts that categorize and relate statistically to docket makeup, she said.

“Due to Judge Wilters’ handling drug court, which inaccurately can create the appearance of delays, his docket will be addressed separately,” Dixon said.

“This is the first step to accomplish the overall purpose of the contract, which was to identify what types of cases were on the dockets and the respective age of different categories of cases. I assessed each category and developed proposed processes to increase the efficiency of our system.”

Newcomb said she made transition overtures to Dixon but has received no response.

Newcomb said she asked Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack and former District Attorney David Whetstone to meet with Dixon regarding the transition and to offer her a job after the November election at her previous salary as chief assistant District Attorney.

The job entailed reviewing major cases which would not be tried while Newcomb was in office.

“I even left open the possibility of discussing hiring her prior to November once I cleared it with the auditors, and if appropriate terms could be agreed to between us,” Newcomb said. “She rejected my offer and, in fact, in her letter to Gulf Coast Newspapers, she said it was not a transitional job.”

Newcomb said prosecution of criminal cases is the primary function of the office and she wanted Dixon to have time to prepare for cases.

Newcomb said she also offered Dixon the opportunity to attend a sentencing guideline conference Sept. 8-10 for judges and district attorneys statewide, which Dixon attended.

“After the November election, I will revisit the issue of what needs to be done to facilitate a transition and protect the rights of victims and survivors of crime as I have done for the last 20 years,” Newcomb said.