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New software expected to help Butler County collect fees [The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review](Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (PA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 26--Butler County's prothonotary is hoping a new software system will help collect money owed from protection from abuse orders. "We should be able to collect more money for the county," said Glenna Walters. The county commissioners Wednesday voted unanimously for Walter's office to hire Infocon Corp. of Ebensburg, Cambria County, to install software that'll track the fees paid on abuse orders issued by Butler County Court. The county has about 551 people that it tracks each month, Walters said. On average, each person may owe about $300 in fees levied by a county judge when signing an abuse order, including court costs and fees from the sheriff's department to serve the order. In some cases, Walters said, a judge will waive fees, depending on the financial situation of the defendant involved in the case. Last year, Walters said, the prothonotary's office collected $15,153 in new and old fees. She could not estimate how much money is outstanding. With the new software, she said, if a person misses a monthly payment, then the program will flag that account, and staff will send out a letter reminding them that they have to keep up with payments. The old software does not flag back-due payments. The average monthly payment on the fees is between $25 and $50, Walters said. She said county agencies work together to identify people who may owe back fees. For example, Walters said, Children and Youth Services or a local police department notify the prothonotary's office when they've gotten someone new in their systems. The prothonotary's office will check to determine if the person owes back fees. "Everybody in the county works together," Walters said. The $2,500 set-up fee will come out of her office's automation budget, which is funded by fees on civil filings, Walters said. The $160 monthly service fee will be paid from the office's equipment maintenance and rental expense budget. "This really is a win-win. We're getting money and we're able to track people better on their payments," Walters said. Bill Vidonic is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-5621 or [email protected]. ___ (c)2014 The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.) Visit The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.) at www.triblive.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |