MAHONING COUNTY Judges request space

Judges want to consolidate all their administrative offices on one floor.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County commissioners were hit with yet another court order Monday, but this one is not for money.
All five general-division judges signed the order, saying they intend to take over office space in the courthouse that is soon to be vacated by the prosecutor's office, which is moving next door to the sixth floor of the county administration building.
Commissioner Vicki Allen Sherlock said that move, in the works for more than a year, is scheduled to happen in mid-January.
The judges, in their court entry, said that about half of the common pleas court's administrative offices are already on the third floor of the courthouse, with the rest spread throughout the building in at least three locations on two floors.
"The court has determined that the current space configuration does not provide it with adequate accommodations for all present staff or opportunity for future growth," the entry says.
It is signed by Judges R. Scott Krichbaum, Maureen A. Cronin, Robert Lisotto, Jack Durkin and James C. Evans.
Consolidating the administrative offices into contiguous work space on the third floor "supports the proper administration of justice and efficient operation of the courts," the judges' entry says.
Terms of order
It orders commissioners to provide them with all third-floor space they already occupy, as well as the soon-to-be-vacated prosecutor's office space.
Presiding Judge Evans said the court reporters are already on the third floor but need more space. The courts also need office space for two magistrates, and the court assignment office would be moved from the second floor to the third.
He said a definitive plan has not yet been devised for how the space would be used.
Allotting space properly
That bothered Sherlock, who said space in the building has long been at a premium, and the judges should have developed a plan before staking claim to the space.
Other offices need space as well and might be able to use some of the vacated third-floor space if the courts don't need it all, Sherlock said. That's why a plan is so important.
"We understand the need, and we know there is going to be some jockeying for space," Sherlock said. "It's just that we need everyone to work with us. There's going to have to be some real management here."
Prosecutor Paul Gains said he's not sure whether the final word on courthouse occupancy is up to commissioners or the judges.
"I'll have to research it," he said.
Sherlock said commissioners are still mulling what to do with the 7th District Court of Appeals, which is on the fourth floor of the courthouse. Bids have been sought for space outside the courthouse, but Sherlock said there's no guarantee that one of those options will pan out.
If moving outside the courthouse proves too expensive, given the county's tenuous financial condition, Sherlock said the court might be forced to stay put and commissioners would have to find more room in the courthouse.
"Nothing is set in stone just yet," she said. "If there are some options for us, I want to consider them all."
bjackson@vindy.com