County commissioners tasked to choose court computer system

A push from the state mandating e-filing in the court systems has caused a bit of a conundrum for three county departments.
At a Pulaski County Commissioners meeting Monday evening, Pulaski Circuit Court Judge Michael Shurn, Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Murphy and Pulaski County Clerk Christi Hoffa met with the commissioners to discuss how e-filing is causing some decisions to be made regarding the case management system the county uses. Senior judge Doug Morton, who is aiding the county after the resignation of Pulaski Superior Judge Patrick Blankenship, was also on-hand to give his opinion regarding the case management system and meet the commissioners.
Shurn said the group is at a bit of a crossroad regarding the court operating system because of the e-filing. The county is beginning to implement e-filing but must first decide if they want to change the current operating system. The county has two options including CSI, which is what is currently being used by the county, or Odyssey, which is the State-approved system. The current CSI program costs the county about $25,000 a year.
The group discussed the pros and cons of the system including the fact that CSI is locally based while Odyssey is internet-based. Benefits of having CSI includes if the internet isn’t available, the courts still have access to cases. The new program would also require some new equipment and better internet access. The plan is for the county to begin e-filing in July.
Hoffa said work has already begun in regards to e-filing and the CSI system. Her concern is if they change the system then the e-filing will be delayed.
Murphy reminded the commissioners that if the county switches the systems there will be some incidental costs including upgrading the internet and new computers. There could be grant funding available but how much and for which departments is unknown.
The county currently does not have an information technology (IT) director but is looking to hire one. Hoffa said changing the system could be a nightmare for the county without an in-house IT person.
Commissioner Bud Krohn Jr. was absent from the meeting.