JUNE 2004
THE SCRIBE
2004 CONFERENCE SET IN AUSTIN
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Warrant Round-Ups
2
Customer Service
4
Incode Advisory Board
6
MSB Expansion
8
Court Listserv
10
The 2004 Conference will be held in Austin, Texas. The event is set for October 4—6, 2004 at the Austin Marriott Hotel, located on 11th Street at IH-35. The
Austin Marriott at the Capitol (www.marriotthotels.com) is located in full view of the
Texas State Capitol in downtown Austin, and within walking distance of the University of Texas. The hotel is also minutes from the Convention Center, LBJ Library,
the Governor’s Mansion and Town Lake. The conference theme is “Onions to Orchids”. Rebecca Stark, City of Austin Court Administrator, is serving as host of the
2004 Annual Conference. For more information, you may contact Rebecca at
512.974.4690 or rebecca.stark@ci.austin.tx.ux.
Special highlights for this year’s conference include:
A government agency exhibition in addition to the private vendor exhibition.
An entire section of the educational program will allow clerks to talk with these
agency representatives and obtain materials, assistance and contact information.
Agencies planning to attend include: The Office of Court Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety (several divisions), Texas Attorney General’s Office,
Texas Municipal Courts Association, Texas State Comptroller’s Office, State Licensing boards, Secretary of State and many more.
Conference registration is $150 for state Texas Court Clerks Association members
and $185 for non-state TCCA members.
The hotel cost is $80 per night, plus taxes
(total of $92) for single room. The hotel
cost is $95 per night plus taxes (total of
109.25) for double room.
Call
1.800.228.9290 or 1.512.478.1111 for
reservations. Rooms can be booked now,
but be sure to mention that you are attending the TCCA Conference. Parking at
the hotel is $5 per day. The hotel does
NOT provide a limo service. Attendees
may take the SuperShuttle for $10.75
one-way. Reservations are not required.
For more information on the SuperShuttle
please call 1.800.258.3826 or go to their
website at www.supershuttle.com. Make
plans now to attend this informative and
educational conference.
Page 2
June 2004
T
R
C
G
WARRANT
M
C
A
E
C
O
G
N
I
Z
E
S
A
R
O
L
A
U
N
T
T
ROUND-UPS
With warrant numbers growing and the amount of unpaid fines increasing,
more and more cities are turning to “Warrant Round-Ups.”
The City of Round Rock just completed the "Central Texas Warrant RoundUp". The City utilized television, radio, and newspapers of cities in a large area
from Waco to San Antonio and Brenham to Marble Falls. Round Rock participates
in the warrant round-up annually on the same date and advertises in the media for
all of those areas. Identical cards are sent out which list the names of all agencies
who have made a commitment to send out notices on all outstanding cases. During this operation, Round Rock cleared about 280 warrants. There is no amnesty
offered. It is well publicized that officers are coming out in large groups...all agencies on a specific day. The round up impacted the entire case load. Parking fines
were paid, default cases were paid, defendants showed up for court dates (court
docket was full) and the city began seeing results within one day of the press release and the date notices were sent. The citizen’s police academy provided extra
help during the operation. Daily receipts doubled during the round-up period.
“The time to stop
talking is when the other
person nods his head
affirmatively but says
nothing.”
—Henry S. Haskins
The San Antonio Municipal Court, also, recently had a warrant roundup
from March 22 to April 2, 2004. The first week of the roundup the court mailed
out 60,000 warrant letters and a group called Volunteers in Policing made warning
calls. These volunteers researched Class C Misdemeanor warrants (Municipal
Court Warrants, usually related to traffic violations) and conducted courtesy calls
to citizens to remind them of their commitment prior to officer enforcement. Warrant Drive Volunteers were trained to work the computerized Police Warrant Tracking System. The 60,000 letters were just a portion of the total outstanding warrants. The City does not have a specific "roundup" warning letter that was sent out,
instead the usual courtesy notices were sent out. This is the same letter that is
sent initially when the warrant are issued. The San Antonio Police Department
conducted a news conference and issued a press release that was in the newspaper and on the radio. To view a copy of San Antonio Police Department's press release go to: http://www.sanantonio.gov/sapd/pdf/Adv_032204.pdf.
The City of Crowley also recently had a warrant roundup on March 6, 2004.
The court mailed out bright green post cards, and made many phone calls. The
roundup was very successful and the court had a special guest that day, Margaret
Robbins was in the building and Leisa put her to work. Many in the Metroplex may
have seen her on the local news channels. Crowley cleared 266 defendants and
collected $51,756 during the roundup. Twelve area
cities were invited to participate and seven cities participated. An amnesty program was offered for two
weeks prior to the roundup. Anyone interested in additional information, please contact Leisa Hardin at
lhardin@ci.crowley.tx.us.
If you would like to share your “Warrant
Round-Up” success stories, please send articles to
the Scribe Editor, to the address on page 7 of this issue.
The Scribe
Page 3
WELCOME NEW TCCA
MEMBERS
The Texas Court Clerks Association Board of Directors and established
membership would like to welcome our first time members to this exciting association. As a member you will enjoy a professional and educational annual conference, a semi-annual newsletter full of news from around the state, and a networking line of communication to aid you in court-related issues. As a member, you can
also take advantage of the highly-regarded Municipal Court Clerk Certification Program.
TCCA works with the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center and the
Texas Municipal Courts Association to bring education to courts all over the state.
If you have any questions regarding your membership, please contact a board
member listed on page 11 of this issue. Welcome aboard!
C E R T I F I C A T I O N PAY S U R V E Y
Jeanie Roumell of Keller is currently conducting a survey collecting
the following information for publication in the next Scribe:
1) Agencies that offer certification pay for obtaining the court certification.
(What level)
2) Agencies that give the employee a pay increase for obtaining the court
certification. (What level)
3) Agencies that have denied the employees any kind of increase or pay for
obtaining the court certification.
If you would like to participate in this survey, please mail, call or email the
information to: Jeanie Roumell, City of Keller, 330 Rufe Snow Drive, Keller,
Texas 76248 or 817-431-1518 or jroumell@cityofkeller.com.
If anyone is interested in “hosting” a survey to be published in the Scribe
newsletter, please contact Scribe Editor, Jennifer Sullivan.
CERTIFICATION CONTINUING
EDUCATION REMINDER
Watch your mail! Look on your desk! If you have not completed your
application for Continuing Educational hours, please do so. If you are in
need of additional hours, check the website at www.tmcec.com and www.
texascourtclerks.org for a listing of classes in your area. Also, check with
your local Chapter for training opportunities.
“The best way to predict
the future is to invent
it.”
—Alan Kay
Page 4
June 2004
Courts offer bigger and better service for
customers in Texas
In every courtroom, despite the color of the walls, the name of the judge or
the crimes committed, for the citizens, one thing stays the same – the anxiety.
Even walking into city hall with a traffic ticket is disconcerting because there is always a line. But, Denton, Irving, Bryan and Lewisville, Texas now have an alternative.
In 2003, Denton recovered $273,000 in court fees through their online
payment module that went live in 2001. Irving brought in fines totaling $330,000
in the 2002-03 fiscal year. “With technology the way it is, there is an increasing
number of people doing business over the phone and Internet and people are
growing to expect that,” said Irving Court Coordinator Bill Maitland.
“Leadership is action,
not position.”
—Donald H.
McGannon
The four communities listed above worked with Tele-Works, Inc. to establish e-payment and telephone services for their citizens. Ranging from a population
of 62,000 in Bryan to a population of 290,000 in Irving, e-payment and telephone
options have been widely accepted in diverse communities. Bryan’s service went
online at the beginning of April and within three weeks of implementation, more
than $1,500 was recovered online. “We didn’t think we’d get that much without
publicity,” said Court Administrator Hilda Phariss. “People are obviously looking for
[ePayment options] without knowing for sure it’s there.” One of the most unique
aspects of Bryan’s service is the plan to offer a Spanish module and telephone
voice. Though the service is not yet multilingual, Phariss said it is still fairly easy to
maneuver for people that do not speak English.
All online and telephone payments are accepted 24/7. Because of this,
several communities are only offering the online and telephone payment options
for people with current, up-to-date tickets. Though some communities are offering
warrant ticket payments online, many cities are shying away from such an advancement in the early stages of implementation. In Lewisville, Judge Brian
Holman says no warrants are currently accepted, but the city hopes to enhance its
e-payment capabilities within time. “The city is taking a proactive approach to
make city government more accessible to citizens,” Holman said. “Our intent is to
make sure citizens have as much access to courts as possible. It doesn’t have to
be a Herculean effort to get (tickets) taken care of.” However, because of the need
for minors to go before a judge, no communities are offering juveniles the option of
remote payments.
Communities like Lewisville are not only aiming to expand on their epayment options, but also extending their capabilities to offer inquiry services and
increased court document availability. In 1998, Pasadena, Texas installed a service that allows people to call in and get answers from the court department via an
IVR application. According to Senior Deputy Clerk Melissa Hill, Pasadena police issue an average of 6,000 tickets each month. Every day, Hill says the phone rings
off the hook with people asking questions about their fines. Therefore, the city set
up their telephone inquiry database for citizens to enter their ticket number or
name and date of birth and receive any personalized or general information about
court costs, directions or other pertinent information they may need.
The Scribe
Page 5
Courts offer bigger and better service for
customers in Texas
“We don’t have a lot of staff and I was very impressed with the ability to
make simultaneous information changes in a number of media outlets. That integration of systems can be really handy when time is tight,” Holt said. Within the
near future, Pasadena also hopes to offer the inquiry database online and set up
an e-payment service.
Many cities have begun offering online and telephone services, but it is vital that such options come available without additional consumer fees. All five of
these Texas towns provide the services free to their citizens and have also simplified internal processes by switching to optical imaging and having paperless transactions between police and courts. With the booming technology age, it is necessary for communities to maintain speed with current trends. And, as these cities
so readily demonstrate, it’s more important than ever to keep making courts bigger and better in the Lonestar State.
“Leadership is the
capacity to translate
vision into reality.”
—Warren G. Bennis
Page 6
June 2004
2003-04 TMCEC SEMINAR SCHEDULE
June 15-16, 2004—Special Topics Judges/ Court Administrators—Hyatt Regency
Austin
June 24-25, 2004—Bailiffs and Warrant Officers—Inn of the Hills Kerrville
July 6-7, 2004—12 Hour Judges/Clerks—Camino Real El Paso
July 19-23, 2004—32 Hour New Judges/Clerks—Lakeway Inn Austin
July 30-August 1, 2004—Level III Certification Assessment Clinic—Doubletree Dallas Campbell Centre
To register for a seminar listed above, contact the Texas Municipal Courts
Education Center at 800.252.3718 or you can download a registration form from
the website at www.tmcec.com.
“Nearly all men can
stand adversity, but if
you want to test a man's
character, give him
power.”
—Abraham Lincoln
INCODE CERTIFICATION ADVISORY
BOARD ESTABLISHED
Incode, Inc., a municipal court software company based in Lubbock,
Texas, has announced the creation of a certification advisory board. The purpose
of this program is to provide the Incode customers a standard that will examine
the core knowledge of those who become certified. The Advisory Board members
will help in developing exam questions, identify different levels of certification and
determine the best way to deliver the certification program to Incode customers.
The current members of the Advisory Board are Tammy Adams, Plainview, TX;
Charmyne Crowe, The Colony, TX; Cheryl Dowden, Nederland, TX; Stephanie
Rogers, Rolla, MO; Lenae Scholten, Pipestone, MN; Tracie Glaeser, Round Rock,
TX; Elaine Brown, Katy, TX; Donna Martindale, Incode and Dane Womble, Incode.
Incode is currently searching for individuals from South Carolina and Kansas to serve on the newly-formed board. Individuals who become Incode-certified,
will be recognized
at the annual Incode Education Forum. For more information regarding this program,
contact
Dane
Womble, Director
of Client Service at
800.646.2633 or
dane@incode-inc.
com.
The Scribe
BEEVILLE
HONORS
COURTS WEEK
Page 7
MUNICIPAL
The City of Beeville signed a proclamation recognizing the municipal court staff
during Municipal Courts Week. Those pictured are, front from left, City Manager
Ford Patton, Councilman Gilbert Herrera, Mayor Kenneth Chesshir, Municipal
Judge Fred Garza and Councilman Randy Forbes. Those in the back row are, from
left, Assistant Police Chief Carl Schrier, Deputy Court Clerk Longie Berdan, Secretary Amanda Gonzales and Deputy Court Clerk Renee Cherry.
“Of all the properties
which belong to
honorable men, not one
is so highly prized as
that of character.”
SCRIBE EDITOR: JENNIFER SULLIVAN,
SEALY MUNICIPAL COURT
The Scribe is published semiannually by the Texas
Court Clerks Association. Articles for the next newsletter must be submitted by November 15, 2004. Send articles and/or job postings to Jennifer Sullivan, P. O. Box 517, Sealy,
Texas 77474, fax to 979.885.4784
or email to jsullivan@ci.sealy.tx.us.
Please note change of contact information.
Job postings and news may also
be posted on TCCA’s website:
www.texascourtclerks.org,
contact
David
Preciado,
San
Antonio,
210.207.7109, for more information
regarding the website.
—Henry Clay
Page 8
June 2004
MSB EXPANSION
Gila Corporation/Municipal Services Bureau Expands to 200-Seat Call Center to
Service New Business
Municipal Services Bureau and Gila Group, two well-known subsidiaries of Gila
Corporation, announced their relocation to a new, state-of-the-art 20,000 square
foot collection call center. The new facility, which is approximately three miles from
their existing office, is located at 6505 Airport Blvd., Ste. 100, Austin, TX, will eventually employ 250 people.
Municipal Services Bureau [M.S.B.] provides collection services exclusively to city,
county and state government. Specializing in the collection of delinquent court fines and
fees, the company works with 600 government entities nationwide. “The new call center
will allow us to better service our ever-growing list of government clients,” said Scott
Locker, M.S.B.’s Vice President of Collections.
Chuck Busch, a Certified Credit Union Executive who founded the predecessor to
Gila Group [Gila] before he sold it to Gila Corporation, is Vice President of Sales & Market-
“Live so that when your
children think of
fairness and integrity,
They think of you.”
—H. Jackson Brown,
Jr.
ing and is also excited about the growth being experienced by Gila. “We offer very unique
services exclusively to credit unions and other lending institutions. They come to us for specialized delinquency control programs. In essence, we become part or all of their in-house
collection department, handling pre charge-off accounts, and we have to provide a working
environment our clients can be proud of,” said Busch.
Gila Corporation also has an office in Newport Beach, CA. That office offers parking
citation processing and delinquent parking citation collection services to cities, counties
and institutes of higher learning nationwide.
“The entire organization is excited to be relocating. Our employees will like the
new, expansive facilities and happy employees make good employees. Additionally, we often entertain clients and I’m sure they’re going to be that much more comfortable working
with our firm when they see the substantial investment we’ve made in technology and the
office overall,” said Thomas Giamboi, President, Chief Executive Office and founder of the
13 year-old company.
For more information on M.S.B.’s government services, visit www.muniserv.com.
For information on Gila Group’s services for credit unions and other lending institutions,
please visit www.gilagroup.com.
The Scribe
Page 9
TCCA ELECTION SET IN OCTOBER
TCCA will be electing a President, Secretary and three Directors at Large at the
October 2004 Annual Business Meeting held during the Annual Conference. The conference will be in Austin, Texas. If you would like to run for a position listed, please
contact a current board member to learn more about the position. Nomination forms
will be sent out to members the first week of June. If you do not receive a nomination
form, please contact Committee Chairperson Elaine Brown at 281.391.4823 or
ebrown@cityofkaty.com
Job Posting
Katy Municipal Court—Katy, Texas
Clerical position open until filled. P. O. Box 617, Katy, Texas 77492-0617
281.391.4823
DOQ
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
As I sit down to write this article, I wanted to express my excitement and pride I
have for each you. Congratulations to Julie Kubeczka, Alvin Municipal Court for
achieving her Level III Certification and becoming our 12th Certified Court Clerk
and to all of those that have achieved their Level I, Level II and Level III Certifications. To those who are studying, writing journals and planning their observations,
keep up the good work. To our new members welcome to TCCA. Because of you
we are a stronger and more successful organization.
Being a court clerk is rewarding and, at times, frustrating. I speak from experience
when I say that you will find the days, weeks, and months ahead to be full of excitement. It may seem at times that you are alone, facing monumental tasks, and
that no one will listen, let alone offer encouragement. But as a member of the
TCCA you are not alone, you have 600 plus members just waiting to help in any
situation. Pick up the phone or send out an email and within minutes you are surrounded with support. As many of you have
already discovered, it takes special skills
and knowledge to carry out your duties in a
responsible and effective manner.
Congratulation to Janell Kucera, Court Administrator, Sugar Land Municipal Court,
upon her retirement effective May 31,
2004.
In closing, I offer my compliments to each
of you on meeting the challenges of our judicial system.
“People with integrity do
what they say they are
going to do. Others have
excuses.”
—Dr.
Laura
Schlessinger
“
Page 10
June 2004
C O U R T A D M I N I S T R A T O R L I S T S E RV
NOW AVA I L A B L E
The Texas Municipal Courts Education Center (TMCEC) now sponsors a listserv for municipal court administrators. Only persons employed in municipal courts in these capacities
may participate. Clerks who participate must agree to the Terms of Use (see below). There
is no charge to subscribe, as the listserv is sponsored by Yahoo and contains a small
amount of commercial advertising.
The purposes of this listserv is to (1) provide participants with up-to-date information on
laws and procedures that effect the operations of Texas municipal courts; (2) allow participants to network, problem solve, and share with others what problems arise in your
court; and (3) distribute information relevant to municipal courts, such as information on
publications and seminars.
With a listserv, you can send an inquiry that will go to everyone's mailbox on the listserv
and they can respond with a click of a button. There will be dozens of members on the
TMCEC listserv, so users must be careful to not send irrelevant messages as they will be
blocked from participation.
To join the listserv, send your name, title, court name, telephone number, and email address to Hope Lochridge at TMCEC or email this information to her (Hope@tmcec.com).
TMCEC Court Administrator Listserv Terms of Use
“Honesty
and
transparency make you
vulnerable. Be honest
and transparent
anyway.”
—Mother Teresa
The following terms are acknowledged and binding upon all judges using the TMCEC
Listserv:
1. By participating, users claim that they are currently employed by a municipal court.
2. Users agree that the primary purpose of the listserv is to provide a forum for municipal
court administrators to share general legal information and thoughts pertaining to municipal court matters.
3. Users agree that they will not disclose specific information about pending cases, reveal
confidential information, or make inappropriate comments in violation of the Canons of
Judicial Conduct.
4. Users acknowledge that all electronic transmissions are neither confidential nor protected from public disclosure.
5. Users assume individual responsibility for their comments and agree that violation of
the stated terms of use can result in their removal from the listserv and potential disciplinary action by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
6. While the listserv is sponsored by the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center, the
comments expressed by users are solely those of the author and are not those of the
Texas Municipal Courts Association Board of Directors or the staff of TMCEC.
For more information contact Jo Dale Bearden, TMCEC, at 800.252.3718 or e-mail to
bearden@tmcec.com.
The Scribe
Page 11
TCCA BOARD MEMBERS
President—Leisa Hardin, Crowley—817.297.2201
Vice-President—Lynda Kilgore, Baytown—281.425.1020
Treasurer—David Preciado, San Antonio—210.207.7109
Secretary—Shona Bohon, Midland—432.685.7304
TML Representative—Leisa Hardin, Crowley—817.297.2201
Past-President—Rosie Caballero, Coppell—972.304.3651
Director At Large—Elaine Brown, Katy—281.391.4823
Director At Large—Carol Gauntt, Richland Hills—817.299.1828
Director At Large—Linda Gossett, San Angelo—325.657.4366
Director At Large—Janell Kucera, Sugar Land—281.275.2561
Director At Large—Phyllis Mathison, Bastrop—512.321.4522
Director At Large—Hilda Phariss, Bryan—979.209.5424
Central Texas Chapter President—Linda Pavelka, Lacy Lakeview—254.799.2458
Gulf Coast Chapter President—Luane Turvey, Webster—281.316.4105
Hill Country Chapter—Susie Garcia, San Antonio—210.207.7528
North Texas Chapter President—Sean Leonard, Southlake—817.481.1859
Northeast Texas Chapter President—Melissa Malone, Paris—903.737.4106
Panhandle Chapter President—Lora Dockery, Sundown—806.229.3131
South Texas Chapter President—Wendy Contreras, Corpus Christi—361.886.2539
West Texas Chapter—Anita Chapman, Abilene—325.676.6304
“The final test of a
leader is that he leaves
behind him in other men
the conviction and will to
carry on.”
—Walter J. Lippmann
TCCA COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
Advisory Committee—Rosie Caballero, Coppell—972.304.3651
Annual Conference 2004—Rebecca Stark, Austin—512.974.4690
Annual Conference 2005—Pennie Jack, Arlington—817.459.6954
Bylaws Committee—Lynda Kilgore, Baytown—281.425.1020
Chapter Steering Committee—Sean Leonard, Southlake—817.481.1859
Certification & Education Committee—Hilda Phariss, Bryan—979.209.5424
Historian Committee—Linda Pavelka, Lacy Lakeview—254.799.2458
Internal Audit Committee—Janell Kucera, Sugar Land—281.275.2561
Legislative Committee—Rosie Caballero, Coppell—972.304.3651
Membership Committee—Linda Gossett, San Angelo—325.657.4366
Nominations Committee—Elaine Brown, Katy—281.391.4823
Public Relations Committee—Anita Chapman, Abilene—325.676.6304
Publications Committee—Jennifer Sullivan, Katy—281.391.4824
Jennifer Sullivan
Sealy Municipal Court
P. O. Box 517
Sealy, Texas 77474
Phone: 979.885.6733
Fax: 979.885.4784
Email: jsullivan@ci.sealy.tx.us
We’re on the web
www.texascourtclerks.org
ITEMS OF INTEREST
The National Association of Court Managers (NACM) Annual Conference
will be in Grapevine, Texas, July 11-15, 2004. The registration cut-off date is June
8, 2004. For more information regarding the annual conference and membership
in NACM, visit www.nacmnet.org. NACM is one of the approved associations for
continuing education through the Texas Municipal Court Clerks Certification Program.
The TMCA annual meeting will be held September 9-11, 2004 at the Doral
Tesoro Hotel and Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to the very informative
and instructive educational programs to be presented, there is also planned a Vendor Services Expo. At the Expo, attendees will have an opportunity to gather information about courtroom security, fine and collection techniques, computer software and technology, and many other court-related topics. TMCA President Sharon
Hatten will preside over the annual business meeting and all TMCA members interested in attending are invited. This will be an excellent opportunity to participate
with your municipal court colleagues in both a formal academic setting and also in
more relaxed social symposiums.
What is a Listserv?
Listservs work like a mailing list of people who are interested in the same
topics. One person can correspond with many people at once. Every message
posted to the list is sent to all of the list subscribers by electronic mail received
automatically.