Trial Court Software Gets Initial Approval

After a lengthy, often convoluted debate, Washtenaw County commissioners gave initial approval to the selection of a new record-keeping software system for the Washtenaw County Trial Court that’s estimated to cost $2.3 million. The vote took place at the ways & means committee meeting of the board of commissioners on Aug. 7, 2013. However, the resolution did not garner sufficient votes for final approval, and will be considered again on Sept. 4.

The Tyler Odyssey Case Records Management System would replace an outdated software system that hasn’t been supported by the previous vendor since 2005, according to a staff memo.

The board’s original resolution included a funding proposal for this system, from the following sources: (1) a $551,998 refund from the state related to an unfinished pilot project; (2) $200,000 from an anticipated 2013 surplus in the trial court budget; (3) $700,000 from the county’s IT fund balance; and (4) $899,463 from the county’s capital reserves, to be repaid with any trial court surplus starting in 2014.

However, some commissioners expressed concern about the use of capital reserves, so an alternative resolution was brought forward at the meeting that did not include the references to funding sources. An amendment to that alternative resolution – made after considerable discussion and procedural maneuverings – stated that the board approved the selection of this software system, and directed the county administrator to develop a maintenance and implementation plan, and to identify funding sources by the time of the board’s Sept. 4, 2013 meeting.

The resolution as amended passed on a 7-2 vote at the ways & means committee meeting, with dissent from Dan Smith (R-District 2) and Alicia Ping (R-District 3). Smith objected to passing a resolution that approved the purchase without identifying a funding source. Ping was concerned that there had been no clear source of funding identified for the system’s annual maintenance fee, estimated at $188,933.

The resolution failed to garner sufficient votes for final approval when the board voted at its regular board meeting, which immediately follows ways & means committee meeting. To pass, the resolution needed six votes, because final approval was being sought on the same night as initial approval. The final vote was 5-4, with dissent from Ping, Dan Smith, Conan Smith (D-District 9) and Kent Martinez-Kratz (D-District 1). That means the resolution will automatically be moved to the Sept. 4 agenda for final consideration.

A lengthy memo from court administrator Dan Dwyer described the history of the current software and lists its shortcomings, including an inability to compute or apply late fees on unpaid accounts, and the fact that it does not support electronic filing or online access to case information by the public. [.pdf of Dwyer's memo] The trial court was involved in a pilot project with the state of Michigan to develop a new records management system – but that project was not completed and the trial court pulled out of it in February 2013.

A request for proposals (RFP) was issued in April 2013, and four proposals were received. Tyler Technology was selected based on a range of criteria, according to Dwyer, including stability, experience, and its approach to implementation and project management. The firm’s annual maintenance cost of $188,933 was the lowest of the two qualified bidders.

The trial court is an entity that includes the 22nd Circuit Court, court clerk services, juvenile court, Friend of the Court, and probate court. It also includes, as of July 1, a new specialized business court. The trial court’s chief judge is Donald Shelton.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building at 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow: [link]