Commissioners OK new software program for Highland County Prosecutor's Office

The Highland County Prosecutor’s Office will soon be implementing a new digital case management system that will streamline numerous office functions, as Highland County commissioners Terry Britton, David Daniels and Brad Roades approved the purchase of the Prosecutor by Karpel criminal case management software for the county.  

Commissioners met with Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins and her office administrator, Kathryn Allen, to discuss the proposal Wednesday.

According to Britton, the quote the county received was $74,400 to implement the new software program, plus an annual $10,100 fee, which Allen said would be due each January in “one lump sum.”

As noted by Daniels in July, the need for updated software was discussed during a recent department budget meeting with the Prosecutor’s Office. Britton added that the new system would “bring them up to the 21st century,” while Roades said that it would cut down on the “hundreds of pages of documents” being printed in the prosecutor’s office.

According to the Karpel website (prosecutorbykarpel.com), their software “is an industry-leading criminal case management platform that is utilized by some of the largest, as well as some of the smallest, prosecuting and district attorney offices throughout the United States. Karpel has worked with America’s judicial system for over 30 years and has streamlined over 600 prosecutor offices, improving their efficiency and providing their teams with invaluable advantages.”

Collins said Wednesday that everything in her office currently being done with hard copies — “as few as a hundred pages to multiple reams of paper” depending on the case, she said. In addition, the system will streamline processes for everyone in Collins’ office, as all of the tasks the program performs are things that are having to be done “by hand” by Collins and her staff every day.

“Our files will all be scanned into a computer system, and instead of printing off and making copies, we just hit send,” Collins said. “It will redact everything for us, which will also save a considerable amount of time, and then it will send it to the defense attorneys as well as file it with the court. The software does all the reports that we're required to provide to the state of Ohio every year.”

Instead of Collins’ office tracking restitution for victims using QuickBooks and spreadsheets, the Karpel system “does the restitution and keeps track of that and takes the payments,” the prosecutor said. Under their current system, the HCPO has to “go in manually” to track restitution payments.

“This program is top-notch for restitution tracking,” Collins said.

As Roades pointed out, QuickBooks also charges a monthly fee, which will be eliminated by using this new software.

According to the prosecutor, the Karpel system will also keep track of witnesses and prepare subpoenas.

“It also will do our Children Services cases,” Collins said. “It even does civil things, like delinquent tax letters, and keeps track of all of that. I mean, it does everything that our office does, I think.”

Collins added that Highland County is “one of the few prosecutor’s offices in the state of Ohio that hasn’t gone to this sort of system.” She and Allen have spoken with other offices in the area, as Allen said Adams, Fayette and Ross counties already use the Karpel software.

“I did speak to Fayette County who is using it, and I mean, they absolutely love it,” Allen said. “They said it has made their life easier and quicker. They're able to produce more work in a day because they don't have to recreate the wheel every time they're doing something like we do now.”

Collins, who said this is “a big step for” her as she is used to having physical files for everything, said they “definitely called around and talked to every prosecutor's office” to do their homework.

Another benefit, Allen said, is Karpel offers 24-hour support, so if they run into issues on weekends or after hours such as when Collins is “prepping a trial,” she can get help. Collins said area law enforcement agencies are also able to implement the program in the future, at a similar cost, if they are interested.

“They have programs where law enforcement can have the software as well, and they would become paperless to us,” Collins said. “They could just send their file to us rather than what we do now, which is they print it all and they bring it to us, and then we would scan it in and have it in our system. At some point, if they were interested in going that route, they could do the same — they could collect all their evidence, log it all into the system, put their file into the system and they can send it to us, rather than having all the paper.”

To implement the software, Allen said that Karpel representatives will train the office staff, while Karpel will also set everything up using their offices existing paperwork.

“They will scan these forms in, so like our delinquent tax letters, they will use the same letter we use,” Allen said. “They're going to use all of our same templates. We just won’t have to manufacture it ourselves each time.”

Daniels asked if there was a “more advantageous” time to switch to the new system. Collins said December would be best, but Allen said they were not sure how much lead time Karpel would need.

“It sounds like it would be at least a month’s process because they come out first, get our templates and then take it back with them and scan into the system, and then she comes out and stays with us for like two weeks,” Allen said. “She did not give me an indication of how quickly she could get me the schedule to come and start that process.”

Daniels also asked if the HCPO’s “server is capable of handling the software” and if they had checked with IT.

“As far as I know, we’re good in that regard,” Allen said. “A lot of it's in the cloud, so it seems like it's also on Karpel’s server, based on the conversations I've had.”

After their discussion, Daniels moved to approve the software purchase, which passed, 3-0.

“Thank you guys, so much,” Collins said. “It feels like Christmas.”

Also during Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners met with local resident Kim Havens, who asked to be placed on the agenda to discuss the Highland Holiday Community Association as well as crime in the Rocky Fork Lake area.

Havens told commissioners she was having issues with the homeowners’ association at the Highland Holiday subdivision. She listed various problems with members of the board and their alleged actions, including with finances, with their enforcement of association rules and with meetings.

“I need some assistance,” she said. “I’ve been calling attorneys that won't call me back. What do I do?”

Daniels told Havens that another association at the lake, the former Enchanted Hills Community Association, was disbanded after legal action taken by some of its members, and he suggested she reach out to them.

Regarding crime at the lake, Havens said that she has tried unsuccessfully to implement a “block watch” for neighbors to report suspected criminal activity.

“The sheriff's department can not do anything if people do not tell anything,” she said. “I need some sort of campaign to let all the people know, ‘hey, your voice can be heard.’

“It’s not going to help unless I get out to everybody. We need to get rid of this crime out there.”

Havens said she has made reports to the sheriff’s office, but “if they don't know this is going on, they can't do anything about it, and they don't have enough people to be out there patrolling.”

Commissioners offered to “pass this on to law enforcement” if she had specific complaints.

“We’re not an investigative body here, but we can pass that on to the local sheriff,” Daniels said.

Havens asked commissioners if there is any funding available to “start an advertising campaign to turn your neighbor in” if you suspect they are committing crimes.
    
“A lot of people don't want to do that because they don't want to raise the suspicion and the ire of their next-door neighbor because they’ve got to live right next to them,” Daniels said.

“But nobody's going to know that they told them,” Havens said. “They’re just not. People have the wrong idea.”

She added that individuals are “in more jeopardy if they don’t” report to law enforcement.

Daniels said that they have “heard these complaints before” regarding crime and that the county is trying “to use what options we’ve got under the law to help address some of them,” such as working with law enforcement and with the Health Department on “problems that deal with health and public safety.”

Britton thanked Havens “for coming in,” and Daniels added, “We’re sorry you’re having trouble.”

“I know it’s frustrating,” Britton said.

• • •

In other discussion:

• Commissioners approved three separate change orders related to the new Ohio State University Extension Office building at the Highland County Fairgrounds.

As previously reported, commissioners voted in July to award the new OSU Extension building project in the amount of $1,113,599.  As outlined by the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funding coordinator Nicole Oberrecht, the resolution for the $1,113,599 project included awarding general work and labor to Tag Williams, Inc. in the amount of $771,249; mechanical ($100,800) and plumbing ($112,950) to Weller’s Plumbing and Heating; electrical to CT Electric, in the amount of $92,000; and an alternate bid ($36,600) for a standing seam metal roof to Tag Williams, Inc.

All three change orders approved Wednesday were to reflect a revised construction schedule and were for the three different contractors selected for the project.

“These are change orders that don't have costs associated with them, but because of the time that we executed the contract, there's changes in the completion date and the schedule of that,” Daniels said.

• Commissioners made two approvals related to the state’s Demolition and Site Revitalization and Brownfield Remediation grants.

Via resolution, commissioners authorized the Highland County Land Reutilization Corporation (land bank) to file an application to the State of Ohio to participate in the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization and Brownfield Remediation Funds.

Also approved was a notice of intent for the legal entity designation of the HCLRC for the Demolition and Site Revitalization and Brownfield Remediation.

This is the second time these grants have been made available through the state budget, but there has been a change this time. According to the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, “New to the program in this budget is language regarding a lead entity in each county. Only a lead entity in each county may submit grant applications to the department, with the lead entity determined based on the following conditions: If the county has a population of 100,000 or more and has a land bank, the land bank is the lead entity. If the county has a population of less than 100,000 or does not have a land bank, the board of county commissioners makes recommendations regarding the lead entity, from which the Director of Development picks the lead entity.”

The land bank was the lead entity for the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization grants in 2022. With the Brownfield grant, the land bank had three projects awarded in the first round of funding totaling $213,549 altogether, while separate from the land bank, the Village of Greenfield received $300,000 for assessments for the former site of a power plant. That led to a months-long disagreement among HCLRC board members and Greenfield City Manager Todd Wilkin, including at their November 2022 meeting, where board members said Greenfield took money from “our” million-dollar allocation.

“The lead entity must include within the grant application any agreements with the entity and other recipients who will receive allocations from the grant,” the CCAO reported on this year’s rules. “Eligible recipients include units of local government, nonprofit organizations, community development corporations, community action agencies, regional planning commissions and land banks.”

• Commissioners discussed and accepted a $10,879 quote (plus $40 per month monitoring fee) from Superior Electric for 16 new cameras for a security system at the Highland County Dog Pound.

According to Britton, the county received quotes from Superior Alarm and Greystone Systems, with Superior Alarm’s quote being one dollar cheaper but including six additional cameras. Superior Alarm’s monthly monitoring fee was also $5 less than Greystone’s, Britton said.

• After their regular meeting, commissioners were scheduled to have a work session with records manager Julie Wallingford.

In other action, commissioners approved the following resolutions, each by a 3-0 vote:

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within Capital Improvement 4050 in the amount of $100,000.

• A budget modification within the 2675 Jail Diversion FY14 in the amount of $2,463.54.

• A budget modification within the 2685 Pre-Trial Release FY14 in the amount of $1,012.30.

• A budget modification within the 2680 Prosecutorial Diversion FY18 in the amount of $1,113.67.

• A budget modification within the 2690 PSI Writing FY14 in the amount of $1,435.78.

• A transfer of funds from Public Assistance Account, 2050 to Children Services Fund, 2115 in the amount of $100,531.52 for reimbursement of Children in Custody utilizing Title XXT funding.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within Board of DD 2100 in the amount of $15,000.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within MR/DD Help Me Grow 2470 in the amount of $1,500.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the MR/DD Help Me Grow HV/CC 2490 in the amount of $40,000.

• A resolution authorizing Britton, Board President, to enter into a contractual agreement for the records storage building project in the amount of $2,797,000 per project specifications to Alpha Construction Indiana, Inc. (The board previously voted to award the project at their Aug. 30 meeting.)