Municipal and Traffic Court asks council to fund IT director, caseworkers as online case resolution moves forward

Judge Bobby Jones, presiding judge of the Municipal and Traffic Court, told the City Council the court is seeking a 10% increase in its personnel budget to hire an IT director and additional case managers as it prepares to return to its Broad Street courthouse and launch online case resolution.

The court has been operating in temporary space at the former VA hospital since Hurricane Ida displaced it; Jones said the facility suffered chronic plumbing and electrical failures and that operations were shuttered for nine weeks this year. "2024 represents the third year of our displacement by Hurricane Ida," Jones said, noting the court expects to return to Broad Street within months.

Why it matters: Municipal court leaders argued staffing and technology investments will let the court manage a growing caseload and expand restorative approaches. Jones described the court's community court model as an alternative to traditional fines and incarceration; participants receive individualized plans developed with judges, social workers and community providers.

Judge Mark Shea said the court is close to selecting a vendor for an online case resolution (OCR) product: "We're almost three quarters of the way there," Shea said, describing a shortlist of vendors and a planned mini-RFP. He said the OCR would integrate with the court's case-management system after procurement work and a vendor demonstration.

Court leaders said existing community-court operations have enrolled more than 300 participants, but staffing is insufficient: Jones said the ideal case-manager-to-client ratio is 30-to-1; the court currently has one case manager. "We have enrolled over 300 participants, but I only have 1 case manager," Jones said. The court leader asked council members to authorize recruitment for an IT director and more case managers to support both community court work and the incoming technological upgrades.

Clarity on caseloads and revenues was requested by council members. Councilors asked for printed revenue and caseload figures to accompany verbal remarks. One councilor also asked whether the court and its staff are city employees; court representatives said the judges are state employees while court and clerk office staff are city employees paid through a combination of city and state funds.

What happens next: The court's request is part of the city's budget process; council members said they would work with the administration on recruitment approvals and funding alignment. The court also asked the council to help reconcile a variance between its requested 10% personnel increase and the mayor's proposed 10% reduction to the same line.

Ending: Court leaders said they want a state-of-the-art facility and staff in place when the court returns to Broad Street and requested council assistance to secure the IT and case-management hires that would support OCR and broader modernization efforts.