Judiciary ponders
restructuring plans

Employees will comment
on what it would take to
implement the proposals

By Crystal Kua

Star-Bulletin

The Judiciary is asking its 1,700 employees to comment on proposals to restructure the court system to better serve the public, it said today. The proposed recommendations include:

Whether to relocate, close, consolidate and/or expand all branch courts depending on caseload, population demand and ease of access. The administrative judge and court administrator in each circuit will make recommendations to the chief justice.

If cost-effective, transferring the Traffic Violations Bureau out of the Judiciary or using hearing officers to hear traffic cases.

Creating a one-stop customer service counter where court users can file documents, pay for documents and other services, and obtain information.

Working toward making the Children's Advocacy Center, an agency under the Judiciary's supervision which assists in child abuse cases, independent and self-sufficient.

Transferring drivers education, Family Court foster care and juvenile detention out of the courts.

Negotiating the Judiciary's union contracts independently from executive-branch contracts.

Finding private businesses to provide services such as janitorial, maintenance and collection of fines and restitution.

Implementing a merit-based accountability system that gives merit pay increases/bonuses, holds employees accountable and terminates those who do not perform satisfactorily.

Chief Justice Ronald Moon in July 1998 began re-examining the Judiciary's structure.

The process so far has included visits to each circuit by Moon and Administrative Courts Director Michael Broderick; a survey of Judiciary employees, attorneys, jurors, legislators, Cabinet members, county agency heads, county councils and the public; interviews by Center for Public Policy Studies consultants; and formation of a Plan Review Committee of Judiciary employees.

The proposed recommendations are based on 1,400 surveys, 10 years' worth of reports concerning the Judiciary and more than 40 hours of deliberations by the Plan Review Committee.

Judiciary employees are being asked this month to rate or comment on how easy or difficult it would be to implement some of these proposed changes, which ones should receive priority over the next 12 months, and how to implement them. They have until Thursday to return their surveys.

The committee then could modify or withdraw proposals and will finalize recommendations by February. The final recommendations will go to Moon for further consideration.