Judicial panel to take public comment in Chanute in May

A three-member panel of the Blue Ribbon Commission appointed to review all facets of the Kansas judiciary will conduct two public meetings in Chanute on May 4 to hear concerns and suggestions to improve access and efficiency in the state's court system, a news release said.

The 25-member commission was appointed by the state Supreme Court from across the state to undertake a complete review of the court system, the first since the 1970s when Kansas courts were unified.

"The commission will consider such issues as the number of court locations needed to provide access to justice, the services to be provided in each court location, hours of operation, appropriate use of technology, cost containment or reductions, and flexibility in the use of human resources," Commission Chairman Court of Appeals Judge Patrick McAnany said in the release. "However, the commission is not limited to those subjects and has the authority to review other operational efficiencies associated with the court system."

Conducting the public meetings in Chanute will be commission members Susan Lynn, publisher of the Iola Register; professor Reginald Robinson, Washburn University School of Law; and Mike Padilla, chief enforcement officer, Alcohol Beverage Control.

The meetings will be in the theater at the Neosho Community College. The first of the two meetings will be at 3 p.m. in Room 206 in the Student Union to accommodate local officials who wish to attend and make their comments. A second meeting to hear comments and suggestions from the general public will begin at 7 p.m. in Stoltz Lecture Hall.

McAnany said some of the issues commission members are especially interested in hearing about at the meeting include:

*What should be done to give the courts flexibility to adjust manpower or court facilities as workloads or funding for the courts change?

*Are there court services that could be better provided regionally, electronically, or at one central statewide location?

*How could we use technology to improve the court system?

*Are there certain court services that must be kept at the county level?

*What other concerns or issues do you want the commission to consider?

McAnany said the Blue Ribbon Commission has not arrived at any recommendations to make to the Supreme Court, but is meeting at 18 locations throughout the state in April and May as part of a fact-finding mission. Once the meetings are concluded, the panel will convene to consider all suggestions and concerns expressed.

In addition to the information obtained from the scheduled meetings, the commission will have the results of a weighted caseload study of both judicial and non-judicial staff time required to process the court system cases. The weighted caseload study is the first review in Kansas history to accurately measure the time and personnel required to process cases by considering such influences as case complexity, driving time for some judges in less populated areas to travel from court to court within their district and administrative burdens.

When the panel completes its work, a report will be submitted to the Supreme Court. The report is expected to contain recommendations for action the court can take on its own authority, as well as action that may require legislative approval or constitutional change.

Email comments can be addressed to KSCourtStudyBRC@kscourts.org.

Visit http://www.kscourts.org/Judicial-Branch-Review/Blue_Ribbon_Commission/default.as... for more information.