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Officials: Trumbull County court consolidation could be good
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Trumbull County commissioners Frank Fuda and Dan Polivka say the proposal to merge Central District Court in Cortland and Eastern District Court in Brookfield looks so far like a good idea.
“Preliminarily, it looks like it’s a good financial move for us,” Fuda said.
“We’re looking at a lot of areas where we can save money,” Polivka said. “It looks like there’s a savings there, especially with the timing.”
The timing Polivka refers to is the filing of Eastern District Court Judge Ronald Rice for the opening on the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court bench to occur at the start of 2013, as Judge John M. Stuard retires.
Judge Rice is the only candidate who has filed to run for the seat.
Judge Thomas Campbell of Central District Court has been writing to the county commissioners since late October to suggest that the Eastern District and Central District courts be merged into one, eliminating one of the two part-time positions and resulting in one full-time judgeship.
Eastern District Court serves the townships of Brookfield, Gustavus, Kinsman, Vernon and Hartford, as well as the villages of Orangeville and Yankee Lake.
Central District Court serves the townships of Greene, Mecca, Bazetta, Fowler and Johnston, as well as the city of Cortland.
The Central and Eastern district courts have a similar function as the municipal courts in Warren, Niles, Newton Falls and Girard, which are served by five full-time judges.
With Judge Rice presumably leaving Eastern District Court at the end of 2012, this would be the time for the merger to take place, Judge Campbell says.
It would be best for the matter to be resolved as soon as possible so that the Ohio House and Ohio Senate have time to pass the necessary legislation before anyone files to fill Rice’s seat, Judge Campbell said. The filing deadline is in August.
“We can’t waste any time. We need to move on it,” he said.
As for savings, Judge Campbell says reducing the two courts to one would save the county at least $150,000 every year by reducing the number of buildings from two to one, reducing utility bills and reducing judge salary and benefits.
Combining would reduce the number of full-time employees from 11 to eight and part-time employees from seven to five, he said.
Judge Campbell would like to be the full-time judge. He and Fuda agreed that it would make the most sense to keep open the Cortland location and close the one in Brookfield.
Judge Campbell has talked with the police departments that would be most affected — the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Brookfield, Hartford and Kinsman townships.
Most of them support the move because of the cost savings to them, he said.
Moving the court to Cortland would cost Brookfield police more because travel distances would be increased, but Judge Campbell said he believes adjustments could be made to reduce those costs, such as scheduling Brookfield court cases on two specific days per week.
Court employees who live in Brookfield also could deliver court documents to Cortland on their way to work. And a satellite office could be established in Brookfield in which a probation officer and court clerk would work one day per week, Judge Campbell said.
Judge Campbell said the only way that the Legislature will approve the merger is if the Ohio Supreme Court recommends it.
The Ohio Supreme Court will recommend it only if the county commissioners and Trumbull County Bar Association recommend it, Judge Campbell said.
Jason Earnhart, president of the Trumbull County Bar Association and a Trumbull County Common Pleas Court magistrate, said the bar association is polling its members regarding the general concept of combining the courts, and the results will be reported to the Ohio Supreme Court and others Jan. 15.