Clark County judges seek new courtroom for magistrate

By MATT THACKER
Matt.Thacker@newsandtribune.com

January 09, 2009 12:41 pm

— The judges of Clark County Circuit Court and Superior Court No. 1 came before the Clark County Commissioners on Thursday night to request space for a courtroom for a second magistrate.
“There’s always been a need for another magistrate’s courtroom, but the courts are getting busier,” Judge Vicki Carmichael said.
Carmichael suggested using superior court’s probation offices for the new courtroom and finding a new location for the probation offices.
Commissioner Ed Meyer said he would look into finding space in the building. Circuit Court Judge Dan Moore said the funding probably would come through the building authority.
“This will really help with the case load,” he said.
Commissioner Mike Moore said he understood the need for more space, but said the courts may need to help with funding.
Kenneth Abbott and Bill Dawkins are the two magistrates in the county. Carmichael said there have been times when one of the magistrates has to wait for a courtroom to open to hear a case.

In other business
• The commissioners voted 3-0 to retain Ed Meyer as president and Mike Moore as vice president. They also voted 3-0 to officially hire Greg Fifer as their attorney. This was the first meeting for Fifer and Commissioner Les Young.
• A project was approved 3-0 to build a 59-foot bridge across Silver Creek in Union Township near Memphis. This will replace an old bridge, which cannot support heavy machinery. The bridge will cost $380,000.
• The commissioners decided unanimously to move public comments to the top of the agenda after the approval of claims and payroll. Commissioner Moore said it made more sense to let people comment before voting on issues.