Commissioners approve Tyler Technologies judge's-bench amendment to move toward paperless dockets

Anderson County Commissioners Court approved a contract amendment with Tyler Technologies to install judge-bench tablets and licenses intended to support paperless court dockets for county judges.

County staff described the change as part of an overall move toward electronic filing and access in courtrooms. A vendor representative explained the initial purchase would cover two judges and estimated the up-front cost for that pilot at about $30,000, with an incremental cost of roughly $5,000 for each additional judge. Staff said annual maintenance/renewal costs are expected to be about $8,500 with roughly $950 added for each extra judge.

Sheriff's office representatives supported the amendment, saying the system should make docket entries and release instructions more readable and speed delivery of documents to the jail and other offices. "The sheriff's office is a big proponent of this system," a sheriff's office representative said, adding that electronic access to docket information could reduce errors caused by handwritten notes on paper dockets.

County staff said the county will phase the rollout starting with two judges to work through learning-curve issues and that billing would be split across appropriate budget lines (records management and related funds) so the cost will not be a single large upfront expenditure. The court authorized the contract amendment by motion and voice vote.

The action authorizes staff to proceed with installation and licensing; county officials said the first invoices would not be billed until the next fiscal quarter.