Judges offer staffing assistance for clerk of courts
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
Commissioners said this week they are inclined to recommend a resolution to the staffing dilemma at the Highland County Clerk of Courts office that does not include adding another county employee.
As first reported at www.highlandcountypress.com, Court of Appeals Judge Roger Kline spoke out on behalf of Highland County Clerk of Courts Paulette Donley at the April 28 meeting of the Highland County Board of Commissioners.
Kline expressed concerns over insufficient staffing at the clerk’s office, specifically as it relates to appeals cases.
On Wednesday, May 5, Donley presented a letter to Highland County Commissioners Gary Heaton, Shane Wilkin and Tom Horst in which she proposed hiring a part-time employee at a total cost of $9.64 per hour for four hours
per week. The employee would focus on the cases from the Ohio Fourth
District Court of Appeals.
Citing proposals from Judges Rocky Coss and Kevin Greer, in which they offered the clerk assistance from their respective staffs, commissioners said they were not planning to approve another employee.
In addition to offering assistance from his staff, Coss, in a letter to Donley, said: “I would also suggest that you explore asking the Green Thumb or similar programs. ...Also, the Department of Jobs and Family Services may have people receiving benefits that are required to provide community service that could do these types of things. With unemployment being what it is, there are many people receiving benefits who have excellent work records and office skills.”
Greer sent a letter to Donley on April 29 suggesting that his staff can access files directly at the clerk’s office. “My staff has to request your staff to pull the file which diverts them from their current activities,” Greer said.
“If my staff pulls the files as was the former practice, this should save you and your staff several hours a week.”
In an April 30 letter to Kline, commissioner president Shane Wilkin suggested that Kline, Coss, Greer and Donley meet with him to discuss the staffing problem.
“I am not a judge, nor am I the clerk of courts, so I cannot voice an opinion on how helpful these offers (from Coss and Greer) are, but they would appear to provide some relief to our clerk’s office,” Wilkin said.
In other business, commissioners briefly discussed the Extension levy that voters rejected on May 4. “We are asking the office to give us an absolute minimum that they need and we’ll see what we can do,” Heaton said.
Heaton said he did not think the levy’s failure was a vote against 4-H or other Extension services, but that it was another indication of the region’s poor economy and high unemployment rate.
• Commissioners and Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey discussed a
lease agreement requested by Highland County Children Services Director Wendy Jacobs. Commissioners said she would need to meet with them. “I don’t think there’s ever been a formal lease,” Horst said.
• Heaton asked Horst about mandatory funding for the sheriff’s office, saying it was suggested by Grandey that there are items in the sheriff’s budget which the commission is not mandated to fund.
Horst said the sheriff’s primary responsibilities are to the court, the jail and “law enforcement as needed.
“There’s some discussion on funding of road patrols.”
• Commissioners ordered the removal of the park bench in front of the county courthouse.
• Commissioners also signed proclamations for Supervised Visitation Awareness Month, Older Americans Month and Hospital Week in Highland County.
Commissioners approved the following resolutions, all by 3-0 votes:
• The authorization of additional appropriation to the sheriff’s budget
from Unappropriated Funds to Employee Salaries, in the amount of $20,382.
Additional funds are from the Attorney General’s CPT Training Reimbursement
($960) and from the DARE grant ($19,422). “I want to emphasize that this is
from grant money, not general fund money,” Horst said.
• The authorization of a modification to the TEC budget from Supplies to Services, in the amount of $1,000.
• The approval of the hiring of Karol Osterloh and Penny Good to fill the vacant Eligibility Referral Specialist II positions at Highland County Department of Job & Family Services.[[In-content Ad]]
As first reported at www.highlandcountypress.com, Court of Appeals Judge Roger Kline spoke out on behalf of Highland County Clerk of Courts Paulette Donley at the April 28 meeting of the Highland County Board of Commissioners.
Kline expressed concerns over insufficient staffing at the clerk’s office, specifically as it relates to appeals cases.
On Wednesday, May 5, Donley presented a letter to Highland County Commissioners Gary Heaton, Shane Wilkin and Tom Horst in which she proposed hiring a part-time employee at a total cost of $9.64 per hour for four hours
per week. The employee would focus on the cases from the Ohio Fourth
District Court of Appeals.
Citing proposals from Judges Rocky Coss and Kevin Greer, in which they offered the clerk assistance from their respective staffs, commissioners said they were not planning to approve another employee.
In addition to offering assistance from his staff, Coss, in a letter to Donley, said: “I would also suggest that you explore asking the Green Thumb or similar programs. ...Also, the Department of Jobs and Family Services may have people receiving benefits that are required to provide community service that could do these types of things. With unemployment being what it is, there are many people receiving benefits who have excellent work records and office skills.”
Greer sent a letter to Donley on April 29 suggesting that his staff can access files directly at the clerk’s office. “My staff has to request your staff to pull the file which diverts them from their current activities,” Greer said.
“If my staff pulls the files as was the former practice, this should save you and your staff several hours a week.”
In an April 30 letter to Kline, commissioner president Shane Wilkin suggested that Kline, Coss, Greer and Donley meet with him to discuss the staffing problem.
“I am not a judge, nor am I the clerk of courts, so I cannot voice an opinion on how helpful these offers (from Coss and Greer) are, but they would appear to provide some relief to our clerk’s office,” Wilkin said.
In other business, commissioners briefly discussed the Extension levy that voters rejected on May 4. “We are asking the office to give us an absolute minimum that they need and we’ll see what we can do,” Heaton said.
Heaton said he did not think the levy’s failure was a vote against 4-H or other Extension services, but that it was another indication of the region’s poor economy and high unemployment rate.
• Commissioners and Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey discussed a
lease agreement requested by Highland County Children Services Director Wendy Jacobs. Commissioners said she would need to meet with them. “I don’t think there’s ever been a formal lease,” Horst said.
• Heaton asked Horst about mandatory funding for the sheriff’s office, saying it was suggested by Grandey that there are items in the sheriff’s budget which the commission is not mandated to fund.
Horst said the sheriff’s primary responsibilities are to the court, the jail and “law enforcement as needed.
“There’s some discussion on funding of road patrols.”
• Commissioners ordered the removal of the park bench in front of the county courthouse.
• Commissioners also signed proclamations for Supervised Visitation Awareness Month, Older Americans Month and Hospital Week in Highland County.
Commissioners approved the following resolutions, all by 3-0 votes:
• The authorization of additional appropriation to the sheriff’s budget
from Unappropriated Funds to Employee Salaries, in the amount of $20,382.
Additional funds are from the Attorney General’s CPT Training Reimbursement
($960) and from the DARE grant ($19,422). “I want to emphasize that this is
from grant money, not general fund money,” Horst said.
• The authorization of a modification to the TEC budget from Supplies to Services, in the amount of $1,000.
• The approval of the hiring of Karol Osterloh and Penny Good to fill the vacant Eligibility Referral Specialist II positions at Highland County Department of Job & Family Services.[[In-content Ad]]