March 26, 2010
Local Court Personnel Attend Budget Training Clinic
Court personnel and other public officials from seven jurisdictions gathered today to discuss budgets and other shared concerns at the Ohio Judicial Center.
The four-member teams represented courts either experiencing current budgetary issues or hoping to avoid budget problems in the future. Participating courts included the common pleas courts in Cuyahoga, Greene, Mahoning, Medina and Williams counties and municipal courts in Circleville and Newton Falls.
In an effort to better equip courts for upcoming budget discussions with their local funding authorities, training topics included: negotiation and mediation skills, an overview of the budget process, examples of good court budget content including budget reduction techniques, and information on Ohio’s economic situation at the local, state and national levels. Facilitators/mediators were assigned to each team to help them work through their budget and how to present their plans for 2011.
Hancock County Common Pleas Court Judge Reginald J. Routson served as a presenter for one of morning sessions focused on an introduction to the budget process. He said he hoped attendees came away with the message that “understanding and mutual respect can go a long way to solving problems.”
Akron Municipal Court Administrator Ken Kuckuck helped lead a session on the presentation and submission of a court budget. He said ideally each court would employ a court administrator, but he doesn’t advocate adding positions during the current difficult financial conditions. However, he did point to two resources that would allow a staff member to increase their budgeting and administrative knowledge: the Ohio Association for Court Administration and the Court Management Program.
“Both programs offer great learning opportunities and the costs are minimal,” Kuckuck said. “Most importantly, they both offer the opportunity to network with other people who share their passion for working for the judiciary and in the field of administration.”
The two-day budget training was offered as a follow-up session to a general concept outlined at the Ohio Judicial Conference annual meeting in September. The Ohio Municipal League, the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, the Ohio Township Association, the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management, and the Supreme Court of Ohio are partners in the initiative.
Contact: Chris Davey or Bret Crow at 614.387.9250.