Digital dockets coming to Franklin County courthouse

Defendants in civil and criminal cases in Franklin County soon will be able to digitally navigate when and where to make their court appearances.
A digital docket system with 43-inch monitors will be installed on each floor of the courthouse as a result of action taken by the Franklin County Board Tuesday.
Circuit Clerk Jim Muir pitched the Board on the idea earlier this month, noting the transition to the digital docket would result in savings to the county.
"Some days our docket is up to 27 pages long. We're trying to hang 27 pieces of paper down a wall … we're killing trees left and right with the amount of paper we use," Muir told the Board.
Muir said the system is operated by a company based in Springfield. The system is turned on at 7 a.m. and shut down at 5 p.m. on a Monday-through-Friday basis.
The total cost of the system is $7,800; however, Muir said he has $5,230 from office operations funds to pay the set-up fee, equipment, hardware and shipping. The only cost to the county is the $2,580 annual maintenance fee.
Muir said the company has assured county officials the system could be moved at no cost to the county. Muir inquired about that issue since a referendum for a new courthouse is on the April 7 ballot.
Muir also inquired about having advertisements on the bottom of the docket screen, which provides scrolling messages.
"They said they've never been approached about that," Muir said. "And I checked with the state of Illinois, and they said there are no laws against advertising on these. I honestly believe we can make money on this because there is a lot of eyes everyday that see that docket. You can put anything on that bottom panel. You can put the weather, radar or weather alerts. It rotates. That is something I want to explore."
Similar systems are used in Jefferson and Perry counties, and Muir said he received excellent references of the company from those counties.
In a related issue, the Board formally approved new security cameras in the circuit clerk's office. Muir had made that request at an earlier meeting. Chairman Randall Crocker reported the cameras have been installed. A card reader to accept credit cards also has been installed in the office..
In other news from Tuesday's meeting:
The county renewed a five-year agreement with Abbott Ambulance Service.
The county will enter into a one-year agreement with Affordable Gas as its consultant for electric aggregation. The new contract starts in May. The county is expected to purchase its electric through Homefield Energy at a cost of 5.288 cents per kilowatt hour, a 7.5 percent reduction.
A full-time assistant state's attorney position and a part-time replacement hire for the circuit clerk's office were approved.
Jeremy Parke, Jody Allen and Shane Cockrum were re-appointed to the 911 Board; Danny Melvin and Dennon Davis were appointed to the Bi-County Health Department Board; and David Goss was appointed to the Ewing-Northern Fire Protection Board.
The county took no action on naming a replacement for Treasurer John Gulley, who recently resigned to accept employment at Rend Lake College. The Board interviewed four external candidates for the vacancy during a special meeting Monday. Office employee Pam Smith was named interim treasurer until March 31. Smith did not apply for the position since her retirement is imminent.
Crocker said the four people that applied for the position are "good candidates."