COURT TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE Members present Members present via conference call Staff Members absent Judge Schmalenberger called the meeting to order. Judge Medd moved that the minutes from the September 1999 meeting be approved as distributed. Ted Gladden seconded the motion. The motion passed. IT plan Kurt gave a brief overview of the IT Plan that was created and distributed. He stated it needed to be submitted to ITD and the Legislative Branch by January 15, 2000. He also mentioned that the format of the IT Plan is strictly dictated by ITD. Judge Nelson pointed out that the plan includes areas for the benefits of a particular project or expenditure but no detriments are listed. It was clarified that the IT Plan is not an analysis document. For the projects listed the analysis has either been done separately or in some cases, will be done as part of the project. Judge Medd asked for a clarification of when UCIS was purchased from Scott county and questioned the use of the word "competent" on page 30 when referring to hiring employees. Judge Leclerc asked what DCOJ was and why it wasn't mentioned in the Justice Served report. DCOJ is the Demands for Change of Judge, a small system used only by the Clerks of Supreme Court. Judge Leclerc also asked where the PCSS to UCIS conversion initiative was listed. It is included in activity # 3 Integration. Judge Leclerc also voiced his ageement with the way the plan addresses electronic filing and imaging. Integration with other agencies was discussed. Some members of the committee mentioned that integration is a high priority with many people. Our current plan and budget include funding for integration. It was mentioned that the Judicial Branch should initiate discussions with policy level decision makers at the Attorney General's Office to ask for a commitment for integration with their systems. Judge Graff moved the IT Plan be approved with the changes mentioned and it be forwarded to the appropriate entities. Changes to be made include: 1) Include reference to discussions with Attorney General's Office regarding integration; 2) Clerical error on page 10; 3) Revise the project description on page 11; 4) Add a table of contents or index; 5) Revise the table on page 22 and include an explanation of why there are only 29 counties listed; 6) Clarify the date UCIS was purchased from Scott County; 7) Replace the word "competent" on Page 30. Justice Sandstrom seconded the motion. The motion passed. Municipality support plans Kurt presented a proposal to reduce the support workload presented by the municipalities using UCIS. He stated that each UCIS install takes approximately 10 hours. With 4 municipalities currently using UCIS and quarterly updates being done to UCIS, there are substantial hours spent supporting those installations. The proposal would consolidate the UCIS installations of the municipalities into the Judicial Branch's UCIS install used by 5 judicial districts. It was pointed out that this proposal is an effort to reduce the amount of support time needed by the municipalities while ensuring adequate support is received by them. Additionally, the municipalities would realize the ability to review contact cards that include data from all 4 municipalities and 5 judicial districts while the judicial branch would be able to see case information from municipal courts as well. Also, cases could be easily transferred from municipal to district court. Kurt mentioned that appropriate sizing of the judicial AS400 and a review and update of UCIS would have to be done before integration could take place. Justice Sandstrom moved to support the integration as outlined in the general proposal submitted to the committee Judge Medd seconded the motion. The motion passed. Judicial server support plans Kurt presented a plan for support of the judicial servers that is meant to clarify support roles for the technology department while ensuring uninterrupted and efficient operation of the judicial servers and network. Discussion included suggested phrase changes meant to eliminate confusion and clarify the intent of the document. It was also suggested that a definitions section be added. Judge Medd moved that the plan be adopted as policy with the changes discussed and it be sent to the Supreme Court using standard procedures for policies. Judge Sandstrom seconded the motion. Discussion included a clarification of final changes. The motion passed. Evaluation of ECJD video arraignment project Kurt distributed an analysis of the video arraignment project that was produced by Greg Wallace. Kurt mentioned that there may be upgrades available to the system that would make it an entirely digital system which would eliminate many of the concerns raised about tape storage and reviewing of tapes. It was suggested that the system be offered to SCJD for use in the ITV project. No action was required by the committee. Kurt will get an inventory listing of the equipment to check into possible upgrades for the system and offer it to the ITV committee. Project Plans for Integration Kurt discussed plans for the integration project. He has begun researching alternatives and, after the first of the year, will be moving forward with the project. No action was required by the committee. Juvenile System Update Kurt provided an update regarding the Juvenile Case Management System installation. The developer will be in state next week for training and to provide help converting to a production environment. By week's end, users will be using the system in a production environment. Data from existing systems will be converted. Judge Medd inquired about the system's ability to track restitution. JCMS tracks restitution ordered, paid and disbursed. No action was required by the committee. Digital audio recording pilot project Judge Schmalenberger provided an update for the digital audio recording project in his district. There have been some intermittent problems. The vendor was recently in Dickinson to review the problems and provide other support and maintenance. It is suspected those updates will correct the problems being experienced. It was mentioned that once the system is fully operational and SWJD personnel are proficient at using it, personnel from other districts should be invited to view the system in operation. No action was required by the committee. Interactive television pilot project Ted provided an update of the ITV project in SCJD. The committee has met several times; subcommittees are working on their individual agendas. The Council of Presiding Judges has given their support to the project. No action was required by the committee. Y2K update Kurt provided an Y2K update. Critical systems, networks, servers, AS400, UCIS etc are updated and compliant. Work is still being done on individual personal computers across the state. Kurt expects no major problems with judicial systems, but does expect intermittent and isolated problems with individual personal computers that may have been missed or overlooked. Other business Penny Miller distributed copies of a document she received from Verilaw regarding electronic filing. The company would like to discuss the possibility of electronic filing in North Dakota. With the current plan to postpone electronic filing, no action was taken. Kurt mentioned that terms for 4 members of the committee are expiring at the end of the year. They are: Becky Absey, Judge Joel Medd; Penny Miller; Justice Sandstrom. Judge Schmalenberger will ensure those members wish to remain on the committee and submit them to the Chief Justice for re-appointment. Terms that will be expiring on December 31, 2000 are Judge Benny Graff, Judge Lawrence Leclerc, Judge Allan Schmalenberger, Ted Smith. Kurt distributed a proposal to provide inquire-only access to UCIS for 'non-UCIS' counties. With access being given to non-judicial entities, it seemed appropriate to allow this access for those counties as well. The committee agreed. Kurt will be discussing the proposal with the Trial Court Administrative Personnel at their next meeting. The meeting was adjourned by the chair. The next meeting is scheduled for March 10, 2000.
Judge Allan Schmalenberger, Chair
Judge Benny Graff
Mr. Ted Gladden
Faye McIntyre
Judge Joel Medd
Penny Miller
Judge David Nelson
Justice Dale Sandstrom
Mr. Ted Smith
Judge Lawrence Leclerc
Kurt T. Schmidt
Rebecca Absey