Carroll County Clerk Nancy Maddox has not balanced the office checkbook with the bank for 2009. The county council told her two weeks ago that until the duty was completed, they would table the request for an additional appropriation for computers to implement a new financial bookkeeping system. But it seems the council finance committee has had a change of heart.

“We can’t penalize the courts for what the clerk is not doing,” council president Ann Brown said Tuesday after the finance committee meeting.

Brown said the opportunity to establish a judicial case management system hinges on the clerk’s office participation. The State of Indiana is currently offering the technology at no cost to counties. Brown said that offer will not always be available.

The finance committee heard from two council members, Nancy Cripe and Marion Huffer, who are assigned to work in conjunction with the courts to enhance communication with the council. Brown said she relied on their opinion to decide what to recommend to the council at the March 18 meeting.

“This is an opportunity for the county to take advantage of a relatively free technology that could make our judicial system more efficient,” Cripe said. “To not do this now could negatively impact other departments such as the sheriff, the prosecutor’s office and the courts.”

Maddox told the finance committee that auditor Beth Myers balanced the December 2008 bank statement to the office’s checkbook. She reported that she has yet to balance the January to December 2009, plus the January and February 2010, statements.

“It is not acceptable that the clerk has not balanced her books with the bank,” Cripe continued. “I’m not sure when her situation will change.”

Cripe said when the council denied Maddox’s request for an additional appropriation for computers for the new system, they intended to use the influence of Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Smith and Circuit Court Judge Donald Currie to insist that the clerk she do her job. The courts could then be able to take advantage of the lowcost case management system. Council members stated at the time that it made no sense for the clerk to start a new bookkeeping system when information from the old system could possibly be inaccurate.

“I thought the judges could put enough pressure on her to make her do what she is supposed to do, but that didn’t happen,” Cripe said.

Maddox said she and her office staff will be in training March 22 to 31 for the new system. The training will be held in the jury room on the third floor of the courthouse. Maddox said the clerk’s office will be open regular business hours during the training.

“We all can’t be in training at the same time,” she said. “There will always be someone in this office to take care of business.”