Chamber supporting court consolidation

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s board of directors favors a plan to consolidate Mahoning County’s lower court system and to eliminate one of Youngstown Municipal Court’s three judges.

“We believe that in the midst of declining population and significantly reduced government revenues in the Mahoning Valley this would be a good time to pursue court consolidation in Mahoning County,” said Tom Humphries, the chamber’s president and chief executive officer.

Today’s announcement by the chamber comes a few months after Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams publicly announced he wanted the state Legislature to pass a bill reducing the number of municipal court judges from three to two.

Williams also wrote Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer of the Ohio Supreme Court on April 14 about consolidating the county’s seven lower courts — four county and three Youngstown Municipal Court judges.

The chamber “generally supports consolidation or sharing of services that result in more efficient and effective government,” Humphries said.

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