Tuesday, Sep. 09, 2008

Benton court docket sessions to improve efficiency

By Franny White, Herald staff writer

New Benton County Superior Court docket sessions are expected to give people with outstanding court fines a more efficient way to appear, said County Clerk Josie Delvin.

Starting Oct. 21, the court will hold twice-monthly sessions specifically reserved for those who have to appear regarding court-ordered fines and fees, she said. The sessions are typically held when someone has not been making payments on a fine or wants a reconsideration.

Previously, people with court hearings on fines they owe have had to wait hours between a long list of other unrelated hearings before having a brief moment with a judge. That makes daily court dockets long and often requires court staff to stay late and work overtime, Delvin said.

"It will be better for everyone as a whole," she said.

The new docket sessions also will help the court do a better job of collecting fines, Judge Robert Swisher told Benton County commissioners last week. The commissioners approved the plan on a 2-1 vote. Commissioner Max Benitz voted no, saying he wanted to weigh the cost during the 2009 budget process.

The new docket sessions are estimated to cost $25,440 annually in additional staff time, but Delvin believes they will bring in more money.

The fine dockets will be scheduled on the first and third Tuesdays of the month with the same judge, prosecutor and public defender, instead of the varied officials that the current schedule often has.

Sheriff Larry Taylor hopes the new docket will free up deputies, who frequently have to arrest people after a warrant is issued for failure to pay fines. Some people simply forget or don't have the money, he said.

Taylor is considering allowing his deputies to not arrest certain people with failure to pay warrants, which could allow them to keep working and pay their fines sooner, he said.

Franklin County Superior Court has had a separate court docket for fines and fees for several years, said Franklin County Clerk Michael Killian. He thinks people like the separate docket because, "Instead of waiting several hours, they're right in and out."

A committee made up of Superior Court judges and the offices of the county clerk, prosecuting attorney, public defense and the sheriff proposed the new docket.