Local court project receives tech grant

Staff/wire report

COLUMBUS

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor has announced 47 local court projects are receiving nearly $3 million in technology grants.

The grants pay for security improvements and upgrades to case management systems through the Ohio Courts Technology Initiative.

The only court in the Mahoning Valley to share in the grant money is Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

It received a grant of $3,456 to upgrade systems that support case management, specifically to set up a self-help computer and printer stations for electronic filing of cases.

This is the fifth year for the grants since O’Connor started the program, with more than $14 million provided to Ohio courts to date.

O’Connor says courts must do more with less today, and technology can help address that gap.

Ohio municipal, common pleas, appeals and county courts are encouraged to apply annually for grants to upgrade their systems, hardware or equipment, or purchase new ones.

Courts receiving the grants were selected by a 16-member panel of judges, court administrators, clerks, information technology professionals and security experts, among others.