By James A. Kimble
jkimble@eagletribune.com
July 05, 2009 01:01 am CONCORD — An increase in court fees is expected to generate $2.8 million annually in revenue for state coffers. State officials hope some of that money will keep the court's crumbling computer system humming along smoothly. "Our financial system software is 20 years old. Our jury management software is very old," said Don Goodnow, director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. "We have a lot of programs written in 20-year-old Cobalt code. That programming language is no longer used, so we've been having difficulty finding people to maintain it." State officials plan to dedicate a percentage of new fees and existing ones to maintain that infrastructure, which runs throughout the state's 79 courthouses. Roughly 14 percent of entry fees in family court and 16.7 percent administrative fees attached to fines in criminal cases will help maintain courthouse technology. That's expected to bring $800,000 to the Judicial Branch Technology Infrastructure fund. "What we're talking about is a technology infrastructure that is old and that has caused us difficulty in the past, and creates a risk of even greater difficulty in the future if we don't upgrade it, maintain it and refresh it," Goodnow said. The court system is trying to maintain itself as it grapples with a host of staff reductions and seven judicial vacancies. Chief Justice John Broderick now plans to fill the seven open judicial seats in the current budget. Rep. Norman Major, R-Plaistow, is hoping one of those judges will be assigned to Plaistow District Court, which was nearly closed by the state. An 11th-hour plea by Major, local officials and police kept Plaistow's courthouse open for another two years. That decision came after the town waived rent for two years. Court officials believe the three district court judges expected to be appointed will sit in Laconia, Concord and Hampton. Major wants a new courthouse in his town, to make sure it becomes a more permanent fixture in town. But he acknowledged it will be an uphill battle, given the financial woes expected in the next budget cycle. "It's going to be even rougher because this budget makes use of a half billion dollars of onetime money that will not be there the next time," said Major, a member of the Ways and Means Committee. "It's going to be a challenge for whoever the majority party is." Major said he is in favor of the fees backing technology upgrades, but questions whether the higher filing fees in civil and equity cases could make the courts less accessible to some people. "It's so easy to tax people who aren't that well represented, and that's essentially what's happening in the court system," Major said. "The judicial system represents, in whole, a very small part of the population, but it's an important part. If we keep squeezing them ... it wouldn't be fair." Broderick said the decision to increase fees came after lawmakers asked each branch of state government to increase revenues. "We have agreed to keep almost 60 staff positions open during the next biennium and will manage with reductions in our operations to meet the new biennial budget," Broderick said in a released statement. "In order to keep the system functioning and avoid even further reductions, we felt we had to ask court users to shoulder some of the economic strain on our state during this very difficult time." The Judicial Branch ordered the new fees or increases, which run from $10 to $100, to take effect in sync with the $11.5 billion state budget Gov. John Lynch signed into law last week. Goodnow said people shouldn't worry that the court system will continue to pay for outdated computer technology. Since 2006, the state has been installing a new case management system called Odyssey, a centralized database which will connect all of the state's courthouses. So far, the system is up and running in Salem District Court and several others around the state. It's expected to go online at Derry District Court by July 28, Goodnow said. That system will allow judges to see a person's criminal record or whether they have other cases pending in New Hampshire. Currently, judges often have to rely on prosecutors' research or paperwork that's presented to them. Goodnow said it's been a long process, but one that will make the courts more innovative over time. It could lead them to using less paper as well. "We're deploying them (at the courthouses) one at a time," he said. The work is expected to be complete by late 2010 or early 2011.
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