In the past four years, Monroe County Circuit Clerk Lisa Fallon and her deputy directors have faced several unique challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic, creation and implementation of a new judicial circuit and, most recently, new requirements of the Pretrial Fairness Act.

For Fallon, many of the adjustments in all three instances include the need for easy access to essential documents and the ability to communicate with court officials, employees and the public remotely.

Fortunately, the Monroe County Circuit Clerk’s Office had been focused on modernizing court-related operations since Fallon was sworn in at the end of 2016.

Fallon described her department’s transformation over the past eight years and provided a glimpse into future improvements during a report given to the Monroe County Board on  Monday morning.

She began with the impact of the pretrial fairness component of the SAFE-T Act and the elimination of cash bail which went into effect in September.

The bond money, Fallon explained, had been used for about 70 percent of cases for court fees.

Furthermore, Fallon said the Pretrial Fairness Act has created a “dramatic increase” in appeals statewide and an increase in the number of court hearings and subsequent filings with fewer days to file the required paperwork.

Fallon pointed to electronic access to documents and automation of certain processes as “huge time saving” measures.

She then provided an overview of some innovations put in place in the past eight years. 

Fallon oversaw a transition from DOS-based to Windows-based case management systems, launched electronic filing for civil cases, computerized “e-Pay” and “e-Plea” services, converted to paperless citations for Columbia and Waterloo police as well as the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, and created systems for digital file sharing between courts and officers of the court.

Also, Fallon digitized existing files beginning in 2016, leading to an increase in available office space and the recent conversion of the Monroe County Courthouse Law Library from a room full of books to a workspace for the public to handle court matters.

There is now a “kid’s table” in the law library as well, as there are a growing number of people who use the law library and do not have the option to leave their children with a babysitter or family member.

While many circuit clerk’s offices in the state have abandoned passport services, the Monroe County Circuit Clerk’s Office has expanded to include on-site passport photo services. 

“That’s extremely helpful” for those seeking passports, Monroe County Board Chairman George Green noted.

Fallon has also been responsible for overseeing the move to remote attendance for court dates.

She said Monroe County Resident Circuit Judge Chris Hitzemann can often spend up to half a day in “Zoom court.”

Fallon also said a “Zoom room” has been set up in the probation area of the Monroe County Jail, which is vital to court officers who are now required to handle pre-trial release cases on non-court days.

Many of these improvements have been made possible due to state-awarded grants.

Fallon reported her office has received more than $500,000 in Technology Modernization Grants the past four years, including an annual $30,000 Access to Justice grant beginning in 2023.

The Access to Justice grants fund improvements to the law library and other public assistance from the clerk’s office with case filing and other legal help – excluding legal advice.

In 2024, Fallon said her department plans to develop and launch a new website as well as implement an improved communications system with the Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Commissioner Vicki Koeber said she was “very impressed” with the work Fallon has done. Monroe County Clerk Jonathan McLean added he has “heard good things” about improvements in the circuit clerk’s office.

“I didn’t do it by myself,” Fallon said, crediting employees in the circuit clerk’s office and Monroe County Chief Deputy Clerk Julie Rusteberg for their hard work.

With the move to more technology-based systems, Fallon and other department heads also discussed at the county board meeting a growing problem with network troubleshooting.

Fallon began by reporting the courthouse network had experienced problems Monday morning for the third Monday in a row – a day when Judge Hitzemann generally has a large traffic docket.

McLean added “there’s a problem of how to get things back up and running in the event of a (network) communication problem,” and that use of computer-based programs are essential to court operations.

Monroe County Public Safety Director Kevin Scheibe explained various departments in the past had their own networks, but over the last five to six years, all electronic courthouse operations have been consolidated to one server and one network.

“It’s come a long way,” Scheibe said.

McLean added county offices are almost 100 percent software reliant and use “cloud-based” systems for daily work.

“If it breaks, no one knows who to contact,” McLean said. “Who’s in charge? I think we’re all confused about that.”

Monroe County has an annual contract with Americom for information technology and network service as well as troubleshooting.

Per the current contract, Green said an Americom technician is required to be at the courthouse at least one day per week, with on-call services available the rest of the time.

Koerber suggested all departments need a single point of contact for such issues.

Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb said network failures “end up being an avoidable problem” due to confusion about who to contact.

It was also suggested the county employ its own dedicated IT professional, although it was decided to review the Americom contract during an upcoming meeting before taking any action.

Per the existing contract, the county may inform Americom of any desired changes in service within 60 days of the contract renewal date.

Also during the meeting, Scheibe reported a new generator to be installed at the courthouse is projected to be delivered May 10.

The existing generator will then be removed and repaired. Once work is completed, it will be used as a backup at the Monroe County Emergency Medical Services headquarters at 901 Illinois Avenue in Waterloo.

Scheibe also said he and other Monroe County Emergency Management Agency personnel will be in Murphysboro April 8 with an Illinois Transportable Emergency Communications System trailer.

The state-provided ITECS stations are used in the event of natural disasters and other major emergencies.

Scheibe said Monroe County is responsible for one such station, and it is the one furthest south in the state. 

The station will be used next week to coordinate police and emergency agencies if necessary during the total solar eclipse. 

Koerber noted it would be “good practice” to use the ITECS station during a non-emergency situation.

Locally, Scheibe said the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department would be patrolling Ames Road just north of Red Bud on April 8.

Scheibe explained that Ames Road is the northernmost point to experience eclipse totality, and deputies would be making sure no one parks on the side of the busy road.

The next meeting of the Monroe County Board is Monday, April 15, at 8:15 a.m.