The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has commissioned a study to determine whether the state should take over the court record keeping offices that include the clerk of courts, prothonotary, and register of wills. At present, most counties assign this task to elected officials.
The change would shift the cost of recordkeeping to the state. In response to a lawsuit filed in 1987, the state Supreme Court ruled that it is the state’s responsibility to pay to operate the judicial system. However, the state currently covers only the cost of administrative functions.
Some wonder how the state will cover the cost of a takeover. Says Westmoreland County President Judge John Blahovec, “Where's the money coming from? They can't meet their own basic obligations, so how can they meet another?”
Read the Tribune-Review article here.
